Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Report of Activities 2005-2006

Forced Migration and
Refugee Studies
Report of Activities
2005-2006
T
The American University in Cairo
he American University in Cairo, founded nearly a century ago, is the region’s
premier university — an essential contributor to the social, political and cultural life
of the Arab world. It serves as a crossroads for the world’s cultures: a vibrant forum
for reasoned argument, spirited debate and global understanding between the Middle East
and the West. It is a vital bridge between cultures, linking Egypt and the region to the
world through scholarly research, study-abroad programs and partnerships with academic
and research institutions.
AUC is an independent, non-profit, apolitical, non-sectarian and equal-opportunity
institution. An English language university, it is accredited in the United States by the
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition, AUC has reached top
levels in international education through higher levels of accreditation of its separate
programs, including business, computer science and engineering.
Through its unique career advising and placement services, AUC ensures its graduates
have the opportunity to secure jobs in Egypt and abroad. With small classes, career training
and a broad array of extracurricular activities, students acquire the practical skills they need
to succeed in the real world. Located in Tahrir Square, the university boasts one of the
largest English language libraries in Egypt, well-equipped laboratories and a
technologically advanced learning environment. In 2008, AUC will move to a new 260acre state-of-the-art campus in New Cairo, designed to the highest international standards.
Working to attract top performing students throughout Egypt and the rest of the world,
AUC offers more than $14 million in financial aid and scholarships each year. Its diverse
student body hails from more than 100 countries.
Currently, The Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Program (FMRS) is situated on the
fifth floor of the Falaki Building, one of the several buildings owned by the university in
downtown Cairo.
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The Forced Migration and Refugee
Studies Program
he Forced Migration and Refugee Studies program (FMRS) is a program of
education, research and outreach that seeks to improve the understanding, policies
and practices of those who are concerned or work directly with refugees and other
forced migrants. While maintaining a global and comparative perspective, FMRS focuses
on the particular issues and circumstances of displacement in Africa, the Middle East and
the Mediterranean basin from multiple viewpoints, including those of host societies, policy
makers, states, humanitarian organizations, and in particular, of the forced migrants
themselves.
FMRS offers a multi-disciplinary graduate diploma designed to support research and
service activities that are mutually re-enforcing, grounded in the needs of stakeholders.
The diploma program reflects the social, psychosocial, economic, cultural and political
aspects of forced migration and its importance to academics, practitioners and the general
public.
The following pages summarize recent developments and activities undertaken by FMRS
during the scholastic year 2005-2006.
Contents
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Message from the President
7
Message from the Provost
8
Message from the Acting Director
10
Program DeveloPments 2005-2006
FMRS Faculty and Staff
Funding
The Library
The Self-assessment Study
Special Events
18
Diploma Program
Developments in the Diploma Program
FMRS Fellows
Student and Alumni News
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Research
Research program
FMRS visiting research fellows and scholars
FMRS working papers
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Outreach
Special Educational Programs
Wednesday Seminars
Conferences and Workshops
Community Outreach Activities
Student Outreach Activities
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Networking and Collaboration
Local networks
Regional and international networks
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Faculty, Staff and Affiliates
Faculty, Staff, and Affiliates Activities
Publications by FMRS Faculty and Affiliates
FMRS Staff and Faculty
FMRS Affiliated Faculty and Researchers
A
Message From the President
s the tragic crisis in Darfur continues and new populations of refugees from Iraq
seek refuge in Egypt, forced migration remains a deeply
significant and relevant subject both locally and globally. The
study of forced migration continues to be a vital and needed area of
research, as it holds the potential for creating better systems, both
political and humanitarian, to predict and respond to crisis in a world
not yet free from the tragedies of war and genocide.
Forced migration and refugee studies continues to be a vibrant and
pioneering program, teaming academic research with community
engagement to increase the understanding of refugee movements and the needs of
displaced populations in Cairo and throughout the world. With multiple focal points
including human rights, refugee law, psychology, migration and sociology, the FMRS
program’s multidisciplinary approach encourages collaboration and the creation of crucial
partnerships to enhance student skills and prepare them to be informed decision makers
and agents of change.
The American University in Cairo welcomes Philippe Fargues, the new director of
FMRS, and eagerly anticipates his vision for expanding the scope of the program, creating
a truly special center for research on migration and refugees in the region. FMRS is
uniquely positioned to promote the scholarship of researchers in sub-Saharan Africa and
the Middle East, as well as to provide the professionally-oriented graduate education
needed by refugee agencies, development organizations and non-governmental
organizations active in this field. The number of individuals seeking asylum in Egypt
continues to grow, and it is AUC’s responsibility and privilege to continue to engage with
these pressing issues through the FMRS program and its activities.
The FMRS program promotes quality scholarship, community engagement and
multidisciplinary academic study that represent the trademark values of education at AUC.
We are proud to support the advance of this dynamic and important program.
David Arnold
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T
Message from the Provost
here are a number of outstanding features of the Forced Migration and Refugee
Studies Program (FMRS) at AUC that are worthy of praise.
First is the successful and innovative Graduate Diploma in
Forced Migration and Refugee Studies. This program serves students
who are here simply to do the diploma as well as graduate students
in other programs, especially law, political science and
sociology/anthropology. Graduates of this program typically go on
to work as professionals in fields related to refugees or migration.
FMRS is also actively engaged in a wide array of outreach activities and provides services
on a variety of levels. It has developed innovative approaches and positioned itself
strategically to best meet the needs of the community. FMRS also produces working
papers and research reports that add to the important body of literature on refugees; it is
involved in and guides student activities on campus and beyond. What is most deserving
of acclamation is the program’s ability to create and maintain strong links with individuals
and institutions working in the fields of human rights, humanitarian assistance and policy
in forced migration situations. The benefits of these networks have been twofold: first,
they have enabled FMRS to learn from and share experiences with other institutions, and
second, they have enabled it to be in the forefront, allowing the program to serve as a
catalyst for change. In a short time, FMRS has achieved a great deal.
I would like to thank Ray Jureidini for serving as acting director for the past eight
months and welcome Philippe Fargues as the new director. We look forward to continued
success under his leadership
Tim Sullivan
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I
Message from the Acting Director
t has been a pleasure filling in as acting director of FMRS since June when Fateh
Azzam left the program to take up the position as regional director of the UNHCHR
in Beirut. Fateh left the FMRS program with a more solid and
‘sustainable’ institutional base within the university, which augers
well for the future. Having moved from reliance upon external
funding, the director’s position is now a dedicated FMRS faculty
position within AUC and the assistant to the director has been
allocated a university staff budget line. In addition, the
sociology/anthropology unit has a structural commitment to provide
two of our core courses. Added to the solidity of the program is the
FMRS section of the library that Emily Eidenier has expertly
catalogued and made accessible. We now have a steady program of updating acquisitions
as new books and articles in the field are published.
The program has maintained a solid interest from so-called ‘international’ students from
countries around the world. For example, in Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 we have had to
restrict registration in our core courses and some electives to FMRS graduate diploma
students to the disappointment of students in other disciplines wanting to take FMRS
courses as electives. As many FMRS students are concurrently enrolled in master’s
programs, particularly in international human rights law, the long-standing desire to
provide an FMRS master’s degree is developing into a central goal along with student
demand.
The three-month Sudanese refugee demonstration in Mohandiseen that ended in a
brutal and mortal conclusion in December 2005 was monitored and studied closely by
FMRS faculty and students, culminating in a comprehensive report by Fateh Azzam and
published by FMRS that will serve as a model document for future local refugee research
in the program. Such activities stand us in good stead, but research has not been an
outstanding feature of the program, partly because we have not had full-time faculty
exclusively dedicated to FMRS and partly because we have not had the facility for master’s
and PhD degrees. However, while research output has not been as substantial as many
would have liked, we can anticipate an ambitious future research emphasis under the new
directorship of Philippe Fargues, and we eagerly await that development.
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The many activities, including our outreach programs detailed in this annual report,
attest to not only a growing interest in FMRS in Cairo, but also to the calibre of students
undertaking the graduate diploma, many of whom are concurrently taking the master’s
program in international human rights law. The program’s collaboration with other
disciplines within AUC will need to be strengthened and broadened to accommodate
future potentialities. As this report highlights, national and international collaboration are
ongoing and should also be enhanced by hosting in Cairo the International Association for
the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) in January 2008.
Ray Jureidin
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Program Developments 2005-2006
Faculty and staff
A
fter three years of highly appreciated dedication as a director of the program,
FMRS staff, researchers, students and friends sadly bid farewell to Fateh Azzam.
Azzam left for the position of Arab Regional Representative of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, based in Beirut, Lebanon.
During his post as FMRS Director, Azzam played a vital role in institutionalizing the
FMRS program within AUC as well as in initiating new research ideas and outreach
activities. In addition to his role as a director, Azzam taught the FMRS core course,
International Refugee Law, as well as the FMRS elective course, Palestinian Refugee Issues.
Fateh Azzam’s farwell party
FMRS wishes him the best of luck and thanks him for his outstanding contribution.
In 2005, FMRS welcomed Ray Jureidini as a new faculty member who was appointed
as an associate professor of sociology. The appointment of Jureidini strengthens the
position of FMRS in the sociology unit as he was recruited on the ground that one-third
of his time would be devoted to teaching FMRS courses. As such, his appointment reflects
the commitment of the unit to teach at least two courses for the FMRS program, and since
fall 2005, Jureidini has been teaching FMRS core courses: Introduction to Forced
Migration and Issues in Forced Migration.
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Jureidini took over the position of FMRS acting director in June 2006 pending the
recruitment of a new director after the departure of Fateh Azzam. Jureidini is also the
principal investigator of the research titled A Social Profile and Analysis of Migrant
Domestic Employees in Cairo, part of an FMRS collaboration with Sussex University on
Globalization, Migration, and Poverty. (See more under Research)
Jureidini is a sociologist trained in Australia and specialized in industrial
and economic sociology. During the past six years, he has been
researching in the field of migration, specifically on female migrant
domestic workers in Lebanon and the Middle East. In addition, he has
been teaching courses on migration and the sociology of law and human
rights covering forced migration and refugees, racism and xenophobia in
the Arab world, and human trafficking involving domestic and sexual
exploitation. His previous post was associate professor of sociology at
the American University of Beirut.
Ray Jureidini, FMRS
acting director
The 2005-2006 scholastic year also witnessed the departure of another
FMRS staff member, Etab Adel Saad. Saad served as FMRS accountant
for over three years, during which she demonstrated great loyalty and
dedication to FMRS. We wish Saad good luck in her studies toward an
MBA degree at the University of Royal Road in Victoria, Canada.
Lamyaa Hussein Mady took over the position of FMRS accountant as Lamyaa Hussein Mady,
FMRS new accountant
of April 2006. Mady has a BSc in commerce from Cairo University.
Last year also saw the departure of two dedicated FMRS researchers.
Katarzyna Grabska and Daniele Calvani left FMRS as of April and May 2006 to pursue
PhDs. Grabska, who worked as FMRS researcher and projects coordinator for over three
years, moved to Brighton to pursue a PhD in gender and forced migration at the Institute
of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. Calvani, who managed the Cairo
Celebrating Calvani receival of AUC's service award
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Community Interpreter’s Project (CCIP) from 2002 to May 2006, moved to the
Netherlands to begin work on a PhD. In June 2006, Calvani received the Service and
Innovation Award for his outstanding services to AUC in his work with the CCIP.
As of April 2006, our distinguished visiting professor, Barbara Harrell-Bond took over
the coordination of the second phase of our collaborative project with Sussex University
on Globalization, Migration, and Poverty. (See more under Research) Harrell-Bond is assisted
by Sara Sadek, who has been assisting Katarzyna Grabska, the previous coordinator of the
project, since October 2004.
Harrell-Bond giving a talk at one of FMRS short courses
Funding
In August 2006, FMRS got approval for a one-year no-cost extension to the Ford
Foundation grant that covers most of FMRS administrative expenses. The Ford grant was
received in December 1, 2004 and was supposed to end November 2006. However
FMRS was able to do significant savings in expenditure that led to an excess of funds over
previous plans. The grant is extended to November 30, 2007.
FMRS specialized short courses and training are covered by a separate grant received
from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) that supports the FMRS educational role
beyond the university gates. The grant covers specialized short courses and training that
address the needs of the NGO and IGO community in Egypt, the region and
internationally. This grant covered the ten short courses offered by FMRS from January
2005 through June 30, 2006.
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The first phase of the FMRS collaborative research project with Sussex University ended
on March 30, 2006. Additional funding was granted by the DFID (Department for
International Development, UK) for the second phase that started in April 2006 and will
end in April 2008. (See detailed information under Research)
The Library
Since April 2005, Emily Eidenier, FMRS library specialist, has been working hard to
catalogue the FMRS Grey Files Collection. As of December 2006, the entire collection of
over 1,500 documents has been catalogued. The great work achieved by Eidenier would
not have been possible without the support and assistance provided by the team at the
AUC Main Library. FMRS would like to thank in particular Jayme Spencer (public
services), Farid Marei (cataloguing) and Cheryl Rueby (cataloguing) for the assistance they
provided through the whole scholastic year. Additionally, FMRS would like to thank
Eidenier’s graduate student assistants, Assad Khalil, George Fahmy, Hussam El Naim and
Themba Lewis. (See under Diploma program)
The following is a brief synopsis of the development in FMRS library acquisitions and
cataloguing:
New Acquisitions
In 2005-2006 the FMRS holdings at the AUC library increased through book orders,
donations and additions to the grey files. The majority of new donations to the grey files
were given by the Cairo Ford Foundation library. Other materials were generously donated
by Professor Barbara Harrell-Bond and the Refugee Studies Centre Library, University of
Oxford. The collection currently contains documents with publication dates ranging from
1948-2006, including documents in Arabic, French, German, English and Italian.
Special Projects
Other initiatives for 2005-2006 include the compilation of a bibliography and critical
review of scholarly works related to refugees in Cairo undertaken as a supplement to the
FMO research guide by Themba Lewis and Emily Eidenier. Additionally, Eidenier
worked with Steve Urgola in the AUC Rare Books and Special Collections Library to
properly preserve unique and valuable holdings in the FMRS Grey Files including
information about refugee camps and camp management in the Jesuit Refugee Services
program in Kenya during the 1970s, an evaluation of refugee-assisting organizations in
Tanzania’s Kigoma and Kibondo refugee camps, and primary source material covering the
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protest of Sudanese refugees in Mustafa Mahmoud park from September to December
2005. (See under Research)
Student and Faculty Support
Emily Eidenier has provided continuous support to FMRS faculty and students
throughout the scholastic year. She visits FMRS classes at the start of the semester to
explain the Grey Files collection and give a general introduction to using the AUC library
for research in refugee studies. Throughout the semester Emily met with students, faculty
and researchers and helped them use the Grey Files collection, online databases and the
library catalogue to research their topics.
Relationship with the Main Library
Eidenier continues to serve an hour each day at the main library reference desk and has
been active in e-mailing information regarding research in refugee studies to the reference
team. In addition, she gave some training to library educational staff on the use of the Grey
Files. A more comprehensive training session is scheduled for next semester.
Community Outreach
Eidenier has volunteered time to assist the FMRS-affiliated Cairo Community
Interpreter’s Project (CCIP) staff in developing their library research skills. Moreover,
duplicate materials from the FMRS collection were donated to the library of Africa and
Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA) in Garden City, Cairo, during the summer
of 2006. Other duplicate magazines were contributed to the refugee English and Arabic
classes operated by Student Action for Refugees (STAR) at AUC. (See more under
Outreach)
Self-assessment Study
The Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Program, like other programs and departments
at AUC, has undergone a process of self-assessment. The rationale behind the selfassessment is to provide a structural way to improve the achievements of the departments,
units, centers and programs at AUC. The self-assessment is a required process by the
Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and
Schools for AUC to gain further professional accreditation. AUC has already been
accredited in the United States since 1998 by the same commission. The self-assessment
study is needed for another 10-year reaccreditation review process.
The process of self-study and assessment of the status of the FMRS program began in the
middle of Spring 2006 and it was undertaken by a committee which has been meeting on
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a weekly basis to plan the components of the self-study and review progress to date. The
committee included:
Fateh Azzam, FMRS director
Ray Jureidini, sociology department and FMRS faculty
Mahmoud Farag, engineering, former vice provost for graduate studies
Maysa Ayoub, assistant to FMRS director
Mai Emad, FMRS secretary
During the semester, the committee accomplished a number of activities. They included
a revision of the FMRS mission statement, clarification of the program’s goals and
expected outcomes, a review of the tools needed and activities to be undertaken in order
to measure the success of these outcomes, and the initiation of some of these activities
before the end of the semester. However, it became evident that given the breadth and
complexity of the FMRS program, the self-study exercise could not be completed by the
end of the semester. An extension was requested and it is now expected that this study
would be finalized in the middle of Fall 2006.
In the first months of the self-study process, the committee reviewed and clarified the
goals, objectives and outcomes of the FMRS program. In order to assess FMRS
achievement of its stated goals and objectives and the degree to which it has been able to
achieve them, a set of measures and tools have been articulated and work already started
on developing some of these measures and activities. In 2004, the FMRS Director and staff
carried out an internal overview study of the history and accomplishments of the program
for the first four years of its work. This has facilitated the present self-study process and
provided information that can be built upon in the final assessment of the status of the
program.
The tools and measures of FMRS program progress are as follows:
a- FMRS and university records offer the best resources for numbers and data on enrollment,
recruitment and other student-related information crucial to the self-study process.
b- FMRS records are also an important source of information on research projects
undertaken by faculty and staff, publications, affiliations, regional and international
collaborations, outreach activities, and other programs and activities.
c- A focus group discussion has already taken place on May 27, 2006. Nine current and former
FMRS students participated, and the discussion was moderated by Sawsan Mardini of
the graduate students office, with no FMRS faculty or staff present. The conclusions of
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this focus group discussion will be incorporated into the overall self-study.
d- An exit survey of current FMRS students was prepared and distributed. This survey will
help gather information on students’ assessment of the current program and, according
to students’ own assessment, how well the program has met its stated recruitment goals.
e-Using the exit survey as a base, more questions will be added to make an alumni survey,
which should help assess how well the program has prepared former students for the
careers of their choice.
f- Another aid in this process is an employers’ questionnaire, which is currently under
preparation and should help gather information on employers’ perception of the
effectiveness of the FMRS program for graduated students currently in their employ.
g-For an assessment of the quality of FMRS program content, course syllabi and research
quality, an independent review by consultants and colleagues in the field outside of AUC
would be called upon.
h- FMRS short courses are regularly evaluated by participants at the end of each course.
These evaluations will be combed through, summarized and analyzed to provide a
broad assessment of the quality of instruction and usefulness of information imparted
during those courses.
Special Events
In our last annual report we announced that Barbara Harrell-Bond, AUC distinguished
adjunct professor and advisor to FMRS, received the title of Officer of Order of the British
Empire (OBE). During this scholastic year, the British ambassador in Cairo held a
reception on the occasion of the investiture of Harrell-Bond as an officer. The reception
was held at the British Embassy in Cairo on April 30, 2006 and was well attended by AUC
faculty and students, representatives from most of the embassies in Cairo, representatives
from refugee-assisting NGOs and human rights NGOs a as well as members of the refugee
communities in Cairo.
During the event, a documentary on the Sudanese demonstration was screened. The
documentary, produced by an Egyptian student, highlighted the perception of both the
Egyptians and Sudanese of the protest as well as the reasons behind it.
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Harrell-Bond receiving the OBE award from the British ambassador in Cairo
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T
Diploma Program
he FMRS Graduate Diploma has become one of the most attractive graduate
programs at AUC, attracting Egyptian as well as international students. The FMRS
diploma has always attracted students from Africa, Western Europe and North
America, and recently there is a growing demand from students in Asia and Eastern
Europe, including individuals from India, Pakistan, Turkey, Romania, Czechoslovakia,
Poland and Azerbaijan. In the 2005-2006 scholastic year we received 21 new students, out
of which eight are from North America, seven from Egypt, one from Sudan, one from
Germany and four from Eastern Europe. The popularity of our diploma program is clear
from the following quotations by FMRS students:
“While the coursework and instruction in the FMRS program has exceeded expectation,
it was my involvement working and volunteering in the refugee communities of Cairo
that has added the most to my experiences in this program. Through STAR (Student
Action for Refugees), I was involved in many different outreach activities such as
teaching English classes for refugees at AUC, volunteering with children at local refugee
schools, and hosting internationally celebrated events such as World Refugee Day and
Global Day for Darfur. All of these experiences, both in and outside the classroom, have
shaped me into the human rights advocate that I am today, and will not be forgotten
when I graduate from the FMRS program in the near future.”
Jennifer Renquist, Fall 2006
“The FMRS program is among the best graduate programs at AUC. It has the most
creative and welcoming environment. Additionally, the student body is relatively small,
which allows for a lot of positive collaboration in and outside of the classroom. The
readings are relevant, interesting and cover a wide range of topics.”
Emily Eidenier, Fall 2005
“Taking the FMRS courses has broadened my horizons and helped me deal
confidentely and objectively with refugees. I feel I am more informed than my colleagues
who have no such background.”
Iman Ahmed, 2002
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Developing the FMRS Diploma into a
Master’s Program
Since last year, FMRS has been working hard towards institutionalizing the program
within AUC. The position of FMRS director has been recognized by AUC as a dedicated
faculty position for FMRS. Moreover, the position of assistant to director of the FMRS
program was shifted to a university budget commitment. Last but not least, as of academic
year 2005-2006, the sociology unit of the university hired Ray Jureidini as a new faculty
member to teach two FMRS core courses as well as some of our elective courses. (See
details under Faculty and Staff) These achievements will ensure the steady management of
the program, in line with our efforts to institutionalize FMRS within AUC. Along with
the addition of three more courses to the list of FMRS electives, these positive
developments constitute the building blocks of the transition of FMRS from a diploma
program into an MA program.
Currently, FMRS finds itself in a good position for this transition, requiring only one
more faculty line to ensure the feasibility of an MA program. Until such aim is
materialized, FMRS is offering the following two options to its graduate students to
develop their FMRS diploma into an MA:
At AUC
The FMRS diploma can be pursued in conjunction with an MA in international human
rights law, professional development, sociology/anthropology or Middle East studies as
many FMRS courses are cross listed with these programs. Careful attention should be
given, however, to which courses are cross listed as this changes on an annual basis.
Linking the FMRS graduate diploma to an MA degree program at AUC has proven to be
a very popular strategy for many of our students. Among our 21 new students this year,
nine have taken the diploma concurrently with an MA degree.
At the University of East London
As part of our ongoing collaboration with the Refugee Studies Program at the University
of East London, FMRS is pleased to announce that as of February 2006, AUC’s FMRS
Diploma credits are fully accepted by the University of East London and applied towards
UEL’s MA in refugee studies. To complete the MA program, FMRS diploma graduates
would be required to:
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- Take a course in research methods at UEL, a 12-week module that culminates in a
research proposal which becomes the basis for the MA dissertation.
- Write the dissertation under the supervision of UEL, although the research and writing
of the dissertation need not take place physically at UEL.
One FMRS alumna, Sherifa Shafie, has undertaken the opportunity with the University
of East London during this scholastic year and many of our current students are interested
in pursuing it.
FMRS Diploma Courses
This year, the FMRS core course Psychosocial Issues in Forced Migration was taught by
Courtney Mitchell. Mitchell is a licensed mental health counselor who worked during the
2005-2006 scholistic year as a mental health therapist at Africa and Middle East Refugee
Assistance (AMERA) in Cairo, providing psychological assessments for refugees, in
coordination with the UN, as well as other forms of mental health support. Prior to her
involvement with FMRS and AMERA, she worked for the United Nations World Food
Program as the program manager for Bhutanese refugee camps in Nepal and as a head of
sub-office for Burundian/Rwandan/Congolese camps in Northwest Tanzania. Mitchell
started her career providing individual and group therapy for survivors of various forms of
abuse and trauma in the United States and internationally in Southeast Asia, East Africa
and Central America. The feedback on her course was excellent and FMRS wanted her
to continue to teach for the program, but she travelled back to the United States to pursue
other initiatives. We thank her for her contribution and wish her the best of luck in her
new endeavors.
A number of new courses were offered this year as FMRS electives. Through our
collaboration with the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology and
Egyptology, FMRS developed two news courses that were offered as SOC/ANTH 510
Special topics in Sociology/Anthropology. In fall 2005, Ray Jureidini, associate professor
of sociology, developed a new course entitled Globalization and Migration which
introduced a range of issues related to theories of migration emanating from sociology,
anthropology and economics, and discussed the basic assumptions and arguments behind
the concept of globalization. Moreover, in spring 2006, Mulki El Sharmani, FMRS
research affiliate and research assistant professor at the Social Research Center, developed
a course entitled Navigating Refugee Life: Women, Families, and Communities. The
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course focused on the role of women as caregivers, bread winners, activists and creators of
identity discourses. In collaboration with the English and comparative literature
department, we offered the course ECLT 546 Exile in African Literature as an FMRS
elective. The course concentrated on modern literature and cinema of the African
continent with special emphasis on the theme of displacement, exile and forced migration.
Novels, short stories, poems and films by prominent writers and directors from East, West,
South and North Africa were contextualized historically and culturally and analyzed
aesthetically and ideologically.
FMRS Fellows 2005-2006
This year FMRS offered its own FMRS Fellowships for qualified applicants to the
Graduate Diploma in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies. The fellowships were
provided through the Ford Foundation Grant. (See under Funding). Fellowships are
awarded for one academic year of full-time study or for part-time study and covers tuition
and related fees and books. In addition, international students are provided with
allowances for accommodation and medical care. The fellowship prioritizes students from
Egypt and from parts of the world outside of the United States and Western Europe who
may have other opportunities for funding.
During this scholastic year, FMRS’s Joint Steering Committee received over 30
applications for the fellowships, and approved six (four full and two partial) for the
following students with a view to supporting those seeking to enhance their work with
refugees and forced migrants:
George Fahmy (Egypt), Fall 2005
Fahmy is a lawyer who graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Alexanderia in
2003. His interest in refugee issues developed when he was volunteering with Africa and
Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA). He further deepened his interest by attending
a number of our short courses. He was accepted as an FMRS fellow on a partial basis
where FMRS covers half of his tuition. He is a part-time student and is expected to
graduate as Spring 2007. During his study with us, he was offered a job as eligibility
assistant in the Protection Unit at the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees,
Cairo Office (UNHCR).
Mai Mahmoud (Egypt), Fall 2005
Mahmoud is a protection assistant officer at the United Nation High Commissioner for
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Refugees, Cairo Office (UNHCR). She is an AUC graduate who acquired her MA in
professional development, political science in 2004. Her MA thesis entitled Refugee
Assistance and the Impediments to Self-Reliance: A Case Study of Refugees in Egypt
focused on development potential for refugees in Cairo. Mahmoud finished the three
required FMRS courses and graduated in Spring 2006.
Assad Khalid Saleh (Egypt), Fall 2005
Saleh works with Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA), Egypt. He joined
the FMRS diploma program in Fall 2005 on a full-time basis and he finished the diploma
requirements and graduated in spring 2006. Saleh was among our four students who were
awarded a conference grant from AUC to present their papers at the 4th Annual Forced
Migration Post-graduate Students Conference at the University of East London. He
presented a paper entitled Sudanese Demonstration in Cairo: Different Stands and
Different Opinions. He also presented, along with the three other students, the same paper
in one of our Wednesday Weekly Seminars. (See under Outreach). Saleh is planning to
pursue an MA in international human rights law at AUC.
Sarah Hany Sadek (Egypt), Fall 2005
Sadek has been employed as FMRS research assistant in our collaborative research project
with Sussex University since October 2004. Sadek is also the coordinator of Cairo to
Camps, an Arab Youth Solidarity Project with Palestinian Refugees. Sara has a BA in
political science from AUC and before joining the FMRS program she worked in the
bureau of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Egypt. Sadek
received a full scholarship and is taking the diploma on a part-time basis. It is expected that
she will graduate in Fall 2006 and she has interest in pursuing our partnership with the
University of East London to receive her MA.
Dan Stonescu (Romania), Spring 2006
Stanescu has a BA in international studies from Austin College, USA and an MA in
globalization and development from Warwick University in the UK. He has excellent
experience in research and has already a number of publications. He previously lived in
Egypt when he was an intern with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) offices in Cairo.
Stonescu received a full scholarship and is taking the diploma on a full-time basis, it is
expected that he will graduate in Fall 2006.
22
Konul Zamanova (Azerbaijan), Spring 2006
Zamanova has a BA in translation and linguistics from the University of Azerbaijan in
2003. Prior to her coming to Cairo, she worked as a counselor for durable solutions in the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Azerbaijan. She used to conduct
registration interviews for refugees and persons of concern to determine their protection
needs. She was admitted to the FMRS diploma program on a full-time basis in Spring
2006 and is expected to graduate in Fall 2006.
FMRS Student Activities in the 2005-2006
academic year
This year, four FMRS students (Martin Rowe, Assad Khalid Salih, Mathew Lewis and
Stacy Shafer) were awarded a conference grant from the provost’s office to present their
research papers at the 4th Annual Forced Migration Post-graduate Student Conference at
the University of East London as part of a panel discussion entitled Sudanese Refugee
Protest in Cairo: Community Dynamics and Broader Implications. Their papers theorized
and analyzed the dynamics of the refugees’ protest action in Mohandeseen from September
through December 2005, paying particular attention to issues pertaining to gender,
leadership, informal information networks, and notions of solidarity and mutual support.
(For detailed information on the Sudanese Protest see under Research) Below are the topics of
their papers.
- Rowe, Martin, “Performance and Representation: Masculinity and Leadership at the
Cairo Refugee Demonstration”
- Lewis, Mattew, “Nothing Left to Lose? An Examination of the Dynamics and Recent
History of Refugee Resistance and Protest”
- Salih, Assad Khalid “Sudanese Demonstration in Cairo: Different Stands and Different
Opinions”
- Schafer, Stacy, “Solace and Security at the Cairo Refugee Demonstration”
In addition, FMRS Alumna Emily Eidenier presented a paper in the same conference
entitled Providing Health Care Information to Refugees in Cairo: Questions of Access and
Integration. The paper was presented as part of a panel discussion on accessing health care.
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FMRS was proud of its students’ work and invited them to present the same papers to
the AUC community in one of our Wednesday Seminars. (See under Outreach). Their
papers can be downloaded from our Web site at www.aucegypt.edu/fmrs.
From left to right: Stacy Schafer, Martin Rowe, Assad Salih, Mattew Lewis and Emily Eidenier presenting at a weekly
Wednesday Seminar
The provost’s office also approved a research grant by another FMRS student,
Shannon McDonald, who proposed investigative research on the psychological
interventions used in education for resettled refugee children in the United States. She
conducted her research entitled Investigating Psychosocial and Educational Factors and
their Impact on the Transitional Experience of Refugee children in St. Paul, Minnesota
during the summer of 2006. Prior to her travel, she undertook a comprehensive
literature review at the AUC library to enable her to conduct the semi-structured
interviews with professionals working with the resettled refugee children. Upon arrival
to Cairo, she provided FMRS and the provost’s office with a full report of her study.
Last but not least, our alumnus James Pearce continues to work as a teaching assistant for
FMRS, providing invaluable support to Ray Jureidini in teaching the two core courses of
the FMRS diploma: Introduction to Forced Migration and Issues in Forced Migration. He
also worked during this academic year as a legal advisor at Africa and Middle East Refugee
Assistance (AMERA). He is currently completing his thesis for an MA in international
human rights law and is expecting to graduate in February 2007.
In addition to their interest in developing their academic and intellectual skills and
pursuing various research initiatives, our students are also very active in outreach with the
refugee communities in Cairo by providing various services. Two of the most active
student organizations at AUC were initiated and managed by FMRS students: STAR and
Cairo to Camps. (See under Outreach for detailed information)
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FMRS Diploma Graduates Fall 2005 and
Spring 2006:
The following is a group of students who finished the requirements of the Graduate Diploma
in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies and graduated in academic year 2005-2006:
Gjelstenli, Kim Runar (Norway)
Lindsey, Felicia Janella (USA)
Nischan, Judith Daniela (Germany)
Eidenier, Emily Katherine (USA)
Khan, Naaz Haleema (USA)
Rowe, Martin Timothy (USA)
Schafer, Stacy Blake (USA)
Hafez, Hend Abdallah (Egypt)
Mazza, Viviana (Italy)
Ahmed, Mai Mahmoud (Egypt)
Farrag, Hebah Hussein (Egypt)
Lewis, Matthew Addison (USA)
Salih, Assad Khalid (Sudan)
Sears, Jeanelle Susanne (USA)
FMRS congratulates all of them and wishes them success and personal satisfaction in
their future careers. Viviana Mazza is now sub-editor at the foreign affairs desk of Corriere
della Sera, one of the largest daily newspapers in Italy. Mathew Lewis traveled to England
to pursue an MA in refugee studies from Oxford University. Assad Khalid continues to
work for Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA) and has started his MA in
international human rights law at AUC. Felecia Lindsey is interning with the Resettlement
Department at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Cairo Office
(UNHCR). Mai Mahmoud continues to work as a protection assistant officer at UNHCR
Cairo. And Emily Eidenier continues to provide her invaluable support as FMRS library
specialist at the AUC Main Library.
Alumni News
FMRS alumni did not lose touch with FMRS. They always inform us of their academic
and professional development. Here is the news of some of our exceptional alumni who
are still in contact with us:
Annie Dumont (2005)
Annie was hired as a research assistant for the UN Representative to the Secretary General
for the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons and is planning to attend Howard
University to obtain an LLM in international law.
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Sulemana Bangna Abdul-Karim (2005)
After completing the FMRS graduate diploma, Sulemana pursued his MA in political
science, professional development at AUC. His thesis examined the private
sector participation in the provision of primary education in Ghana. He graduated in
December 2005 and is planning to reproduce the thesis report for distribution to
concerned stakeholders like the government of Ghana, and key stakeholders in education
such as UNESCO, USAID/Ghana, and some national and international NGOs. This year,
Sulemana has been accepted at Sussex University in Brighton, England to pursue his PhD
in education.
Cyrena Khoury (2005)
After completing her FMRS graduate diploma and her MA in sociology at AUC, Cyrena
left to Syria where she finished an intensive Arabic language master’s program at the
University of Damascus. During her study in Damascus, she also volunteered part-time
with UNHCR.
Derek Maxfield (2005)
Maxfield received his MA in political science from AUC with a focus on refugee issues
where his thesis studied the difficulties of local integration of refugees in Egypt. During his
study at AUC, he also interned at the UNHCR office in Cairo.
Upon completing his graduate studies, he went back to Washington, D.C. where he
currently works as a case manager in an agency called the Center for Multicultural Human
Services that receives and offers help to refugees resettled in the United States. He is mostly
responsible for helping Sudanese refugees because of the ability to speak Arabic he gained
while in Egypt. Currently he is also running a program at the agency which is funded by
numerous foundations including the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the UNDP. The
program is called “self-sufficiency” and he supervises nine staff, including case managers,
an attorney and therapists. He values the experience he acquired at FMRS and AUC:
“I have a unique perspective because 90 percent of the refugees here come through
UNHCR and are those same refugees that I used to see living in kilo 4 1/2 and
standing outside the UNHCR office all day. I value the experiences I gained in Egypt
and I am looking for a reason to come back to expand the services for refugees under the
FMRS program I have a family now, and I want to bring them to Egypt for a few years
to live the unique experience I lived.”
26
George Zumba (2005)
After completing his FMRS graduate diploma, he worked with refugees
in Tanzania, and from there he left to study for a European master’s degree in international
humanitarian action at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.
Mohamed Berray (2005)
Berray completed his MA in political science with a specialization in professional
development. He recently conducted field research in Sierra Leone and did an assessment
of the challenges to aid coordination and aid effectiveness in the reconstruction of postconflict societies, taking Sierra Leone as a case study.
27
Research
Research Projects
This year witnessed the sad event of the forced removal of Sudanese protestors from a park
near the offices of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees on December 30,
2006 and which resulted in the death of 29 refugees and asylum seekers. FMRS responded
to the tragedy by undertaking an investigative Research to shed light on the events
surrounding it.
There was little information in the public domain on what happened that evening or
what led up to it. Many questions surrounding the issue were unanswered. Who was
protesting in the first place, and why? Why did they reject several offers by UNHCR?
Could UNHCR and the government of Egypt have offered the protesters more? Why was
such excessive force used in the removal, and how did so many people die? Why were
autopsy reports not released? Why did it take so long before bodies of victims were
released to their relatives for burial, and why were none allowed to be transferred to Sudan
for burial? Why was there so little information and care in the immediate aftermath, when
dazed asylum seekers and refugees were left wandering the streets of Cairo? Who is
responsible and who should be held accountable for which aspect of the events? Could this
tragedy have been avoided and, most important, could it happen again? The research that
resulted in an 80 page report entitled A Tragedy of Failures and False Expectations attempted
to answer these and other questions. This report was the result of more than two months
intensive work by an FMRS team of more than 10 researchers who gathered eye-witness
testimonies, and met with officials from UNHCR, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, as well as non-governmental organizations in Egypt. The report is available on the
FMRS Web site at www.aucegypt.edu/fmrs/reports.
Pictures of the forced removal of the Sudanese protestors
The above mentioned report was not the only attempt by FMRS to respond to the
protest that started on September 29, 2005 and lasted for three months. FMRS students,
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researchers and faculty made previous attempts to understand the reasons behind the
protest and to meet and negotiate with the sit-in leadership to prevent negative
consequences. Unfortunately, those and other attempts failed to result in a satisfactory end
to the protest. The efforts made by FMRS students and researchers were recorded in a
number of academic papers and news articles. Four FMRS students: Martin Rowe, Assad
Khalid Salih, Mathew Lewis and Stacy Shafer produced papers that were presented at the
4th Annual Forced Migration Post-graduate Student Conference at the University of East
London as well as at FMRS Weekly Seminars series. (See details under Diploma Program)
In addition to the above mentioned investigative research, FMRS was also actively
engaged in the following research projects during the 2005-2006 scholastic year.
1. FMRS/Sussex Collaborative Research Project
FMRS entered into its second phase of participation in The Development Research
Centre on Migration, Globalization and Poverty (DRC) with four other academic and
research centers in Africa, Asia, Europe and the UK (see www.migrationdrc.org). The project
is coordinated by the University of Sussex and supported by a grant from the UK
Department for International Development (DFID).
During the first phase of the DRC project that started in 2003 and ended in March 2006,
FMRS and its research partners focused on how forced migration policies and programs
categorize refugees and forced migrants in problematic ways. The research also investigated
the relevance of rights-based approaches for forced migration policies and practices. The
first two and a half years of DRC-FMRS collaboration consisted mainly of mapping out
relevant problems, writing a country paper on issues of migration and forced migration,
carrying out research projects investigating policies affecting refugees (Egypt and Lebanon)
and Internally Displaced Persons (Sudan) (See FMRS Report of Activities 2004-2005), and
organizing a workshop for DRC researchers working on issues of forced migration. The
workshop took place at the American University in Cairo on October 19-20, 2005 and
was attended by researchers working on DRC funded research projects in Egypt, Lebanon
and Sudan, as well as academic experts from the Institute of Development Studies at the
University of Sussex and AUC. On the first day of the workshop, researchers presented
short summaries of their projects and in-depth discussions took place with regard to main
findings and the format of research reports. The second day was devoted to the discussion
of follow-up activities, including local and international dissemination of findings. The
two researchers working on Lebanon (Samira Trad and Jaber Suleiman) presented the
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findings of their research at one of FMRS Weekly Wednesday Seminars. The seminar was
organized as a panel discussion on the policies affecting refugees in Lebanon.
The second phase of the collaboration that started in April 2006 attempts to build on the
research undertaken in the first phase in order to consolidate the findings and seek relevant
policy outcomes (including a more participatory approach to policy formulation, creating
access to rights and services for refugees and IDPs equal to those of nationals, especially in
the area of health, education, work and protection). In this phase, there will be more active
participation in the debate on the issues of rights-based programming for refugees and
forced migrants as well as an attempt to reach out to policy-makers regionally to address
some of the existing shortcomings of the current policies on forced migrants.
Barbara Harrell-Bond is the coordinator of the second phase of FMRS/Sussex
collaboration replacing Kasia Grabska who was the coordinator during the first phase. (See
more under Faculty and Staff). Harrell-Bond is assisted by Sara Sadek who has been working
with Grabska through the duration of FMRS/Sussex DRC Phase I.
The following is a brief synopsis of the activities undertaken so far in phase II of the
collaboration as well as the planned activities.
Dissemination of research undertaken under phase I:
a- The write-shop: The Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalization and
Poverty (DRC) in collaboration with FMRS hosted a four-day workshop April 3-6,
2006 at Stella Di Mare Hotel in Ain Sukna, Suez Governorate. The meeting was
attended by researchers working on DRC funded research projects in Egypt, Lebanon,
Ghana, Malaysia, India and Sudan, as well as externally invited experts and academics
from other institutions. The purpose of the workshop was to prepare for an edited
collection on forced migration and rights building on the finalized research reports
conducted in DRC phase I. The first two days of the workshop were devoted to the
presentation of draft chapters for the edited volume and the third day was devoted to
individual discussusions of chapters between authors and editors which were pulled
together on the final day where emerging themes for the overall project were
identified. To view the full report on the workshop, please visit our Web site at
www.aucegypt.edu/fmrs/research.
b- Partnership meeting: A partnership meeting for DRC partners was held in Cairo in
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April 2006 as well as the meeting of the Centre of Advisory and Review Committee
(CARG).
The partnership meeting was held at AUC and was organized by Kasia Grabska and Sara
Sadek. Fateh Azzam, Barbara Harell-Bond and Maysa Ayoub from FMRS attended the
meeting. During the meeting, reports of activities by the different members were
presented as well as future plans of action. Throughout the day, the participants were
divided into groups discussing particular issues like child migration, gender, health and
education, social protection and other issues.
The meeting of the Centre of Advisory and Review Committee (CARG) was held at
Flamanco Hotel in Zamalek. Fateh Azzam represented FMRS in the meeting.
Working groups during the DRC partnership meeting in Cairo, April 2006
Capacity building and research
a- Research fellowships at FMRS: Two research fellowships per year (each in the duration
of four months) will be offered to young academics or those interested in getting
involved in forced migration research, preferably coming either from Egypt or from the
Middle East. The fellowship would enhance the research capacity of young Egyptian
or Middle Eastern academics in general and in the area of forced migration, rights and
development in specific. Supervision of research fellows will be drawn from a wider
31
AUC faculty, those academics interested in issues of forced migration, migration,
development and globalization, including professors from political science,
anthropology/sociology and human rights law.
b- DRC internship scheme: FMRS will participate in the DRC internship scheme by
having interns from both the North and the South spend between 3 and 6 months at
FMRS working on issues relating to the DRC collaboration, including: conducting
their own research, participating in other research projects, assisting with organization
of DRC related events, assisting in the administration of the FRMS program. FMRS
will provide 1 intern per semester.
Training course on forced migration, rights and development
FMRS will conduct a ten-day advanced course in January 2007 entitled Refugee and
Migrants: Rights-based Approach to Development. The course will be designed for
practitioners from government, inter-governmental, non-governmental agencies, donors
and community representatives in the Middle East and Africa with institutional
responsibilities in the field of refugees and migration. The participants will explore the
practical implications and challenges of applying the much-touted human rights approach
to policy making in real situations. The course will be both theoretical and practical,
drawing on the wealth of lessons arising from trial and error, to determine the best-possible
development outcomes for hosts, refugees and migrants.
Conference on resolving the problems of forced uprooting: regional approach
FMRS is planning to organize a conference in June 2007 to promote new approaches to
policy making in the region relating to forced uprooting. These policies will aim at
improving the livelihoods of forced migrants and creating ways of solving some of the
problems of forced migration in a comprehensive way. Policy makers, NGOs,
international organizations and governments from the region will be invited to participate
in the conference.
Research on the situation of migrant domestic workers in Cairo
FMRS will conduct a 16-month research project on migrant domestic workers as part of
the collaboration with Sussex University in DRC Phase II. The research project titled: A
Social Profile and Analysis of Migrant Domestic Employees in Cairo will be undertaken
32
by Ray Jureidini, associate professor of sociology. The project will conduct a statistically
significant study of Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs) that includes Filipina, Ethiopian,
Eritrean and other African domestic workers in Cairo. Taking a human rights approach,
the project will draw largely on a study completed by Jureidini in Beirut that surveyed Sri
Lankan, Filipina and Ethiopian female domestic workers. Results of the study should
provide evidence for the development of policies that address issues regarding human
rights abuses and the living conditions of various types of migrant domestic work.
2. Youth Violence among Southern Sudanese in Cairo
Various sources indicate an increase in the presence and activity of ‘gangs’ of Sudanese
youth in some parts of Cairo. Gang-like expressions of youth culture - particularly
exhibiting violent patterns of behavior - are unknown in Cairo. However, gangs provide
crucial elements of psychosocial well-being such as a sense of belonging, acceptance and
perceived security. As such, there are reasons to expect that these groups will expand if left
unattended. Accordingly, FMRS decided to undertake an action research to study the
characteristics and significance of Sudanese refugee gang formation in Cairo and actively
seek feasible solutions in the process. The research started as a three-month feasibility study,
but has been extended for four months. The research is headed by Jacob Rothing who is
assisted by Abdullah Shamseldin and Akram Osman Abdo. During the initial three months
he was also assisted by FMRS alumni Stacey Shafer, Martin Rowe and Themba Lewis.
3. The Son of a Snake is a snake: Refugees and Asylum Seekers from Mixed
Eritrean-Ethiopian Families in Cairo
This is a six-month field work research conducted by Louis Thomas in Cairo on the
experiences of refugee generations of mixed Eritrean and Ethiopian marriages. The study
illustrated the exclusion, isolation and vulnerability that these communities experience.
The political tension between the two countries since 1993 as well as the current situation
of neither peace nor war in both countries had an impact on the lives of Eritrean and
Ethiopians of mixed marriages. The findings of the study were presented by Thomas in
one of the FMRS seminar series. The study is available on our Web site under ‘Reports’
and is currently awaiting publication.
4. African Transit Migration Through Libya into Europe: The Refugee Dimension
This one-year study conducted by FMRS researcher Sara Hamood was published in
January 2006 and translated into the Arabic language. The report was sent to various
institutions in Egypt and abroad. In Egypt, the Arabic version of the report was sent to
governmental bodies like the Egyptian Ministry of Manpower and the Egyptian Ministry
33
of Foreign Affairs and to non-governmental institutions like the Egyptian Organization for
Human Rights, Hisham Mubarak Centre for Law, and the Cairo Institute for Human
Rights. The report was also sent to various international organizations based outside Cairo
like Amnesty International, European University Institute, Italian Council for Refugees,
Medici Senza Frontiere, the UNHCR offices in Geneva, Tunis, Italy as well as Cairo, the
Human Rights Solidarity, and the Libyan League for Human Rights in Switzerland. In
Libya, the report was sent to the Libyan authorities, Gaddafi International Foundation for
Charity Association (GIFCA), the Libyan Red Crescent, and the World Islamic Call
Society Libya as well as others. Finally the report was sent to different universities in
Europe and Africa like the Università degli Studi di Palermo, the University of East
London in Europe and the University of Khartoum in Africa.
The researcher, Sara Hamood, gave a talk on the findings of the report at the Refugee
Studies Centre at the University of Oxford during her visit to England in February 2006.
She also gave an FMRS Wednesday seminar on the issue in November 2005. Last but not
least, she presented the findings at the meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Right
Network’s Working Group on Migration that was sponsored by UNHCR and the EU in
Casablanca, Morocco on March 10-11 and at the University of East London in May 2006.
5 .Citizenship Audit in AFRICA
The findings of this research that was conducted by FMRS in collaboration with the Open
Society Institute Justice Initiative on the Citizenship and Discrimination in Africa were
presented in FMRS seminar series and the report itself is currently under review for
publication as an FMRS research report.
6. Palestinian Refugee Livelihood and Survival in Lebanon
The research conducted by AUC graduate student Hoda Baraka (political science,
professional development MA) in the context of the annual Cairo to Camps project is
currently under review for publication.
FMRS Visiting Research Fellows and Scholars
During this academic year, FMRS hosted the following visiting research fellows who
carried out independent research projects in Cairo.
Abbas Shiblack, research fellow through the School of Humanities and Social Science
Shiblak is a Palestinian currently based in England. He led a major research project on the
issue of statelessness in the Arab region, which was completed last year. The project was
34
carried out jointly by the Palestinian Diaspora and Refugee Centre (Shaml) and a number
of institutions in seven countries covered by the project, as well as in exiled communities
outside the region, mainly in Europe. The area covered was the Arab East, including the
Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel /Palestine and Iraq), as well as Egypt and Kuwait,
where the incidence of statelessness is critical and widespread. Reports emanating from the
study and recommendations were sent to all stakeholders in order to share the findings
with policy makers, legislators, academics, and human rights and advocacy groups with a
view to raising the profile of this issue. However, no academic study of the findings has
been published. In order to do so, Shiblak joined FMRS in 2005-2006 as a research fellow
through the school of Humanities and Social Science to work on preparing a manuscript
in English based on the material and data that has been collected.
Amira Ahmed, research fellow through the School of Humanities and Social Science
Ahmed acquired her MA in anthropology from AUC in 2003 and since then had worked
closely with FMRS, where she was involved in a number research activities. She used to
work as assistant to director in the Office of African Studies before she left to England to
purse her PhD. Ahmed’s PhD dissertation, “Aliens and Locals: Maids in Contemporary
Egypt,” studies and compares the experience of two groups of women migrant domestic
workers: Egyptian rural-urban women as internal migrants versus Sudanese refugee
women as international migrants. Ahmed came back to AUC during this scholastic year as
an FMRS research fellow to complete the fieldwork towards her PhD.
Leigh Ellison Sylvan, FMRS research assistant
Leigh Sylvan holds a BA in history from the University of Rice, Houston, Texas. She
came to Egypt in November 2005 and became affiliated with FMRS as a research assistant
to Barbara Harrell-Bond on the pre-feasibility study for the formulation of the Egyptian
Refugee Multicultural Council. (See more under Outreach) During her stay in Egypt she
participated in the investigative research conducted by FMRS on the forced removal of
Sudanese protestors from a park near the offices of the United Nations High Commission
for Refugees. (See above under Research). She also did her own research during the
demonstration and wrote an article entitled “Refugee Protest in the Global South: Recent
Development.” The article was published in the World Refugee Survey of the U.S
Committee for refugees and migrants.
Louis Thomas, FMRS researcher
Louis Thomas holds an MA in modern history from the University of Oxford. Under the
supervision of Harrell-Bond, Louis Thomas spent six months in Cairo examining the
35
situation of Eritrean and Ethiopian Muslim refugees assessing through interviews their
needs, difficulties and insecurities. She presented the findings of her research at the FMRS
seminar series. Moreover, the report that came out of her research will be published soon
by FMRS as FMRS Working Paper No. 7. Currently, she is working towards her PhD
thesis on mixed Eritrean-Ethiopian families.
Maissa Youssef, research fellow through the School of Humanities and Social Science
Youssef is a Killam Scholar and a Fellow of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council of Canada as well as a PhD candidate in the Department of English and Film
Studies at the University of Alberta, Canada. While formally in the English department,
Youssef’s research has followed a fundamentally interdisciplinary trajectory, challenging
commonly accepted assumptions and notions. Her MA research on contemporary social
and political thought focused on the political legitimacy of collective violence and her
current research towards her PhD focuses on statelessness and the political possibilities and
limitations for those outside the sphere of politics. Youssef gave a talk in FMRS seminar
series and was an active member of the research team who worked on the report of the
events surrounding the forced removal of the Sudanese protestors.
Saija Niemi, research fellow through the School of Humanities and Social Science
Niemi is a PhD candidate in human geography at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Her
research focuses on how the southern Sudanese transnational forced migration movements
between diverse cultural environments are linked with shaping of identities of various
status groups within the southern Sudanese diaspora at different levels. For the PhD
research, Niemi has carried out fieldwork in Finland, Egypt, Sudan and Uganda. Niemi
has previously worked in the International Organization for Migration in the regional
offices in Cairo and Helsinki as well as in the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. She has
worked, studied and visited various countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Oceania, the
Middle East and Europe.
FMRS Working Papers and Reports
The Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Working Paper Series is a forum for sharing
information and research on refugee and forced migration issues in Egypt, the Middle East
and Africa at large. FMRS Working Papers and research reports are available in hard copies
as well as in electronic version from the FMRS Web site at
www.aucegypt.edu/fmrs/reports.
This year, FMRS published the following three research reports:
36
African Transit Migration Through Libya into Europe: The Refugee Dimension; by Sara Hammoud
(January 2006). The report examines the current situation of asylum seekers and refugees
caught amidst the large flow of migrants passing through Libya, staying there or being
smuggled to Europe. First-hand interviews shed light on the difficult and perilous journeys
migrants and asylum seekers undertake across desert and sea. The study also sought to
address the policies of Libya as a transit country and those of Italy and the European Union
that address, or fail to address, the real protection needs of migrants and refugees. Legal and
policy recommendations were made with a view to alleviating the problem in the medium
to long-term. The report has also been translated and published in Arabic.
Expectations and Experiences of Resettlement; by Hilary Ingraham, Martha Fanjoy, Cyrena
Khoury and Amir M. Osman (June 2006). The report analyzes the expectations of refugees
towards resettlement to the West versus the reality they encounter when resettled. The
study was based on interviews with Sudanese refugees resettled in Australia, Canada and
the USA, and with Sudanese refugees in Egypt expecting resettlement in those countries.
A Tragedy of Failures and False Expectations: Report on the Events Surrounding the Threemonth Sit-in and Forced Removal of Sudanese Refugees in Cairo, September–December
2005; by Fateh Azzam and FMRS researcher (June 2006). The report is the result of an
investigative research that shed light on the events surrounding the forced removal of
Sudanese protesters from a park near the offices of the United Nations High Commission
for Refugees on December 30, 2006 and which resulted in the death of 29 refugees and
asylum seekers.
37
I
Outreach
n an attempt to raise the awareness of the general public to the situation and problems
of refugees in Egypt and aiming for greater integration between refugees and
Egyptians, FMRS is engaged in a number of outreach activities targeting people
beyond the university gate. The main components of FMRS’s outreach activities are the
following:
Special Educational Program
In addition to the FMRS Graduate Diploma, the FMRS program provides other
educational opportunities for special audiences who need not be admitted to the university
as AUC students to be eligible for such programs. Our two main special educational
programs are the FMRS specialized short courses and the courses provided by the Cairo
Community Interpreter’s Project. Below is detailed information of the two projects.
Short Courses
FMRS has been offering specialized short courses since the initiation of the program in the
year 2000 and since then a total of 26 short courses were offered. Our short courses are
funded by a grant from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) that has been entirely
covering such courses since January 2005. Prior to that funding was made available by the
Ford Foundation grant. (See more under Funding)
FMRS short courses provide specialized education in particular topics within the field of
refugees and forced migration. Each course is an intensive five-day course tailored towards
practitioners in the field. Participants include staff members of the Office of the High
Commissioner for Refugees, the International Office of Migration, Caritas, churches,
human rights lawyers and NGOs. The participants are not only from Egypt and the
surrounding regions but also from Europe, the United States and Asia. Recently our
courses are attracting AUC students, either in their undergraduate or graduate studies, in
the fields of political science, anthropology, sociology and human rights, and many of
them decided to pursue the FMRS graduate diploma as a result of their positive
experiences in short courses. Refugees in Cairo also attended our courses and added their
unique perspective. Their participation is facilitated by tuition waivers provided by FMRS.
Some of our short courses are either provided annually or repeated according to demand.
38
Two of our regular courses that are repeated each year are The International Refugee and
Human Right Law and Meeting the Psychosocial Needs of Refugees. Most of our courses
are delivered through a combination of lectures and interactive small group exercises
where participants learn how to relate theory to practice.
During the2005-2006 scholastic year, FMRS successfully undertook five short courses
attended by 223 participants. The following is a detailed description of the five courses
organized during the year.
Cultures of Exile: This new course was instructed January 16-21, 2006 by Anita Fabos, senior
lecturer, School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies, University of East London.
The course, attended by 39 participants, explored the concept and context of exile in the
contemporary world from the perspective of those who experience it. It drew on social
science analyses of exile, home, belonging, diaspora and transnationalism. Special emphasis
was given to narratives exploring these concepts created by the exiles themselves.
The evaluation sheets indicated the participants’ appreciation of the use of different
methods in communicating the course’s message as well as the opportunity given by the
course to interchange ideas and experiences.
Group picture of the participants in “Cultures of Exile” course
39
Anita Fabos with participants in the Cultures of Exile course
Antia Fabos with Gafar Salim and one of the participants in
the Cultures of Exile course
Refugee Camps and ‘Warehousing’: This course was first conducted in January 2005 and it
attracted a large number of participants that we could not fit due to space limitation.
Therefore, we decided to re-address the issue again in January 2006.
The course was instructed this year also by Eftihia Voutira, associate professor, Department
of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece. The
course took place January 22-26, 2006 and
was attended by 47 participants.
This course addressed the logic of keeping
displaced populations in camps and of
“encampment” in general. Using both
historical and contemporary case studies,
the course identified the main features of
camps as spaces characterized by the
dynamics of power and control as well as
specific types of social organization and
social relations. It addressed the rhetoric of
camps as “safe areas,” as “warehouses,” as
seats of political activism, as targets for
military attack, and forced recruitment, as
well as a paradigmatic area of human
rights violations.
40
Eftihia Voutira lecturing in the Refugee Camps and
Warehousing course
The outcome of the course was very positive as indicated in the followings quotations:
“The material of such important course should be expanded. Many people around the
world do not know how valuable the course is. The five days I spent in the course were
very important for me; I learned what I did not know before.”
“The valuable thing about this course is that it widened my knowledge about the
relationships between camps, refugees, host countries, UNHCR, and NGOs.”
Responding to Refugee Women at Risk – from the Camp to the United Nations: This new course
was instructed June 18-22, 2006 by Eileen Pittway and Linda Bartolomei, University of
NSW, Australia. The course was attended by 54 participants coming from different
nationalities. The course explored the concept of risk in relation to refugee women, and
analyzed the reasons for the apparent failure of the system established to protect them. It
explored a range of strategies which can be used to address this critical issue, including
community development techniques within a human rights framework, national and
international advocacy, and using the United Nations systems to address and identify
potential solutions.
The participants welcomed the topic of this new course as it was the first time to be
tackled by FMRS. This is indicated in the followings quotations from the evaluation sheets:
“The gender aspect of refugee issues is
an important area when considering
that most refugees are women and
girls. It was good to look at refugees
with a gender perspective rather than
the general humanitarian approach
which is usually gender blind.”
“I believe that over the last five days I
became more sensitive, knowledgeable
and appreciative of the risks faced by
women in conflict situations and I
became more motivated to serve these
women through advocacy.”
Participants of the course “Responding to Refugee Women at
Risk, June, 2006”
41
Meeting the Psychosocial Needs of Refugees: As mentioned above, this is one of our regular
courses, offered every summer. It was offered this year for the fourth time June 26 to July
1, 2006. This summer, it was attended by 31 participants and was instructed by Courtney
Mitchell, mental health therapist at Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA)
in Cairo and lecturer at the American University in Cairo (AUC).
The purpose of the course is to help psychosocial workers enhance their knowledge of
refugee needs and increase their ability to meet them appropriately. Topics included
cultural concepts of mental health and well being, basic interviewing and supportive
counseling skills, working with translators, conceptualizing and treating refugee trauma,
understanding and meeting children’s needs, and managing stress and preventing burnout
among humanitarian workers. Participants were assigned to psychosocial teams to analyze
and solve practical and ethical dilemmas that arise in this line of work. They were also
encouraged to attend field trips to areas in Cairo to get practical exposure to different
cultural concepts of mental health and different healing strategies.
Participants of the course meeting the Psychosocial Needs of Refugees, subdivided into psychosocial teams
The outcome of the course was very positive. The participants greatly appreciated the
course’s material and the instructor’s knowledge of the field as indicated in the following
quotations:
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“It is a great course. The instructor is knowledgeable, competent, dynamic and extremely
dedicated.”
“It is an absolutely enriching, enlightening, and an eye opening experience that
helped me a lot. I will definitely recommend it to co-students.”
“The great thing about this course is that it combined theory and experiences from the
field. It really inspired me as it was not a rigid course but rather flexible, open course
where there aren’t always solutions for everything and which gives the real picture of this
kind of work.”
International Refugee and Human Rights Law: This course is also one of our regular courses,
it was offered this summer for the sixth time since the start of the FMRS program. The
course was offered July 2-8, 2006. There is a growing demand on this course as the
number of applicants increase every year as indicated by our statistics. This year we
received over 100 applications out of which we chose 52 participants as per the request of
the instructor. The participants were selected according to their professional experiences
and/or academic qualifications as well the level of their English language. Priority was
given to those who applied before the deadline. The course was instructed this year for the
fourth time by Sharryn Aiken, professor of law at Queen’s University, Canada
The course introduced the participants to refugee and international human rights law,
and covered the primary elements of the 1951 Geneva Convention as well as its interaction
with the 1969 OAU Convention. Particular attention was paid to some of the more
controversial aspects of the refugee definition, including the internal flight alternative, or
“relocation principle,” as well as the application of the exclusion clauses with regard to war
crimes and crimes against humanity. Participants were taught how to do country-of-origin
research, and to develop legal arguments on behalf of asylum seekers on first instance and
appeals cases. Case studies were discussed in small groups and interviewing, research and
advocacy skills were practiced.
The evaluation sheets of the three courses have indicated the participants’ overall
appreciation of the courses offered by FMRS as indicated in the following quotation:
“I hope that FMRS will continue to provide these courses to as many as people as
possible. [It is] so inspiring and you give us motivation to work and make a difference.”
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The Cairo Community Interpreters Project
(CCIP):
Since 2002, the Cairo Community Interpreters Project (CCIP) has been working to
improve language and cultural services for refugees in Cairo through the promotion of
refugee interpreter training and capacity building. It developed and consolidated a course
whose training modules focus on principles of consecutive interpreting, basics of linguistics
and sociolinguistics, and professional ethics. Since its inception, many refugees in Cairo
have joined the Refugee Community Interpreter Trainings offered by CCIP. The
following is a brief synopsis of the development in the CCIP project during the scholastic
year 2005-2006
CCIP Staff
In 2006, the former CCIP project director, Daniele Calvani, received the 2005-2006
AUC Award for Outstanding Service and Innovation in recognition of his dedication to
the refugee community through his work with CCIP. Daniele left his position at CCIP in
the summer of 2006. He has since gone on to the International Criminal Court in The
Hague, conducting seminars for the interpreter hiring and field training divisions, focusing
on interpretation in field missions. He developed International Criminal Court (ICC)
interpreter training manuals based on CCIP cumulative experience at AUC, and these
manuals are still currently used by the ICC’s field interpreter divisions.
In the summer of 2006, Alice Johnson joined CCIP to replace Daniele Calvani as project
director. Alice is a long-time community interpreter trainer with refugee and immigrant
rights organizations in the United States. In addition to her work with CCIP, Alice is a
CASA fellow for advanced Arabic studies in AUC’s Arabic Language Institute.
CCIP Activities in 2005-2006
As a refugee capacity-building project of FMRS, the Cairo Community Interpreter
Project’s mission is to support refugees and displaced persons by strengthening refugees’
linguistic access to aid, services, rights protection, educational and economic opportunities,
and community involvement. CCIP accomplishes this goal through the following
activities:
44
abcd-
Interpreter Training and Education for refugee interpreters serving their communities
Linguistic Resource Development in refugee languages for interpreter support
Participatory Research between scholars and refugee communities on language issues
Community Outreach to build awareness and understanding of refugee language issues
The following is detailed description of the development in these activities during the
scholastic year 2005-2006:
1. Refugee Community Interpreter Trainings
In 2005-2006, CCIP conducted two series of its Refugee Community Interpreter
Training, training more than 80 refugee interpreters in the languages of Arabic, Amharic,
Fur, Oromo, Somali and Tigrinya. Additionally, CCIP held train-the-trainer sessions for
the new language trainers of Oromo.
CCIP is especially proud of the accomplishments of the refugee interpreter graduates of
CCIP courses. Many have gone on to be employed by area refugee aid agencies, and taken
leadership roles in their new jobs. In the Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance
(AMERA) Cairo offices, staff interpreters who are CCIP graduates have developed fullday trainings for the incoming AMERA interns. Their training covers topics such as
interpretation protocol, roles, ethics and techniques for working with an interpreter in
service provision. CCIP supports its course graduates in their training roles, providing
written materials and any other assistance that they may require. Moreover, some CCIP
graduates became language trainers. During this year CCIP has hired four new language
trainers, all of whom are graduates from the CCIP community interpreter trainings. The
new trainers will be specialized in Fur and Somali language and culture interpretation.
2. Linguistic Resource Development
The compilation of culture-specific glossaries of East African languages has been pivotal in
the activity of CCIP during last year and this year, the CCIP glossary project has continued
to expand its terminology base. During this year, CCIP’s resource and publications
coordinator, Amany Ahmed, went through special training to develop the software
platform on which to publish the glossaries online.
3. Participatory Research
Throughout 2005 and 2006, various FMRS students supported their research by accessing
CCIP activities, including Konul Zamanova, who researched interpreters’ handling of
cultural clashes, and James Pearce, who researched interpretation in refugee mental health
settings. Moreover, in 2005, Emily Eidenier, FMRS graduate and library specialist
45
conducted training with CCIP staff on research tools and methods, in order to support inhouse research efforts.
4. Community Outreach
CCIP is committed to FMRS community outreach activities. This year CCIP staff
participated in the annual World Refugee Day, tabling an information booth on language
and interpretation issues for public awareness. Additionally, CCIP staff supported World
Refugee Day and the Global Day for Darfur by providing written translation support for
the program and assisting the coordinators of both events by providing oral interpretation
during the performances. (See more under Outreach) In CCIP’s liaison work with local aid
agencies, CCIP’s training and education coordinator, Mariam Hashim, participated in the
monthly interpreter meetings held at AMERA, in which she presented continuing
education topics.
In addition to the above-mentioned activities, CCIP was busy this year in providing
consultation, planning for fundraising and thinking strategically how to expand its services.
Regional Consulting and Conferences
During 2005 and 2006, CCIP staff provided consultation for the Washington, D.C.-based
organization, Universal Human Rights Network, as they prepared interpretation training
for a number of humanitarian and human rights monitoring missions to be carried out in
Darfur and southern Sudan. Additionally, a CCIP proposal to present a paper at the
Critical Link 5 Community Interpretation Conference, to be held in Sydney, Australia in
April of 2007 was accepted. The paper focuses on interpretation training for interpreters
working in active conflict zones, based on our experience supporting the Universal
Human Rights Network missions to Sudan. Also in 2006, CCIP provided advisory
support to the Refugee Law Project in Kampala, Uganda, as the center plans future
interpreter training for their legal aid projects. It is hoped that CCIP may provide
additional training support for both the Refugee Law Project in Uganda, as well as the
Refugee Consortium of Kenya, in the course of the coming year.
Strategic Planning
As CCIP enters its fourth year of activities, its staff has begun a strategic planning process
to document and evaluate its achievements and best practices to date, as well as to guide
program growth for the coming three years. The strategic planning process has revealed a
need to update and expand current interpreter training curriculum. As a result of the
strategic planning, CCIP will expand its training modules in two new areas: Pre-
46
interpretation advanced language development, and community interpretation in refugee
healthcare settings. Additionally, our glossary project will expand to reflect new
terminology required to support these new training modules. We will also be conducting
community outreach and liaison activities with area agencies that rely on interpreters in
the provision of healthcare services to the refugee community, and actively seek research
collaborations with scholars focusing on healthcare issues in the refugee community.
Active Fundraising
As CCIP develops and expands, its staff is continually engaged in securing fiscal support
for program activities. Staff continues to collaborate with FMRS administration and the
Office of Sponsored Programs at AUC in seeking out funding partnerships to support
CCIP’s refugee interpreter capacity building programs and activities.
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Wednesday Seminars
FMRS Wednesdays Weekly Seminars series is a vital element of FMRS outreach activities.
It is intended to create a platform for raising awareness about refugees and forced migration
issues among a wider audience. Each week a different topic related to refugees issues is
presented by an expert in the field to the general public allowing for open discussion and
debate. It also provides a space for FMRS researchers to present the findings of their
research and receive feedback and ideas.
The FMRS Wednesday Seminar Series hosted this year a number of visiting lecturers
from institutions and Organizations worldwide attracting considerable interest from
students, refugees and the general public.
FMRS continued this year the tradition of posting the summaries of our seminars on
the FMRS Web site, and as last year FMRS was approached by many journalists who
published such summaries in English and Arabic newspapers.
The first month of the fall semester seminar series was devoted to the speakers at the
International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance Course (IDHA) that took place in
Cairo September 4-29, 2005 in which both Fateh Azzam and Barbara Harrell-Bond
participated as guest speakers. (See more under Faculty Activities). IDHA is an initiative of the
Board of the Centre for International Health and Co-operation (CIHC), a non-profit
organization based in New York. It is now a joint effort programme of the CIHC with
the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs, Fordham University, the
Interdisciplinary Program in Humanitarian Action of the University of Geneva, and the
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
The following topics were presented by four of the instructors of the IDHA course during
September 2005 at FMRS seminar series:
- Reflections of a Commissioner General
Peter Hansen, Former Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
- Psychosocial Health for Refugees and Internally Displaced People
Manuel Carballo, Director of the International Center for Migration and Health at the
University of Geneva
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- Internally Displaced Population in Northern Iraq
Valleria Fabbrino, Academic Director of the International Diploma in Humanitarian
Assistance
- Protection as an aspect of Humanitarian Assistanc.
Tore Svenning, Senior Officer in the External Relations Department at the Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent
The following is a list of FMRS Wednesday Seminars during the rest of the 2005-2006
scholastic year
- Deciding Who Eats: The Politics of Food Aid in Refugee Camps
Courtney Mitchell, MA, LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor), Psychological
Counselor, AMERA, Cairo
- A Panel Discussion on the Policies affecting Refugee in Lebanon
Samira Tarab, Frontiers Center and Jaber Suleiman, co-founder of Aidoun (returnees), a
Palestinian NGO
- Sudanese Refugees Sit-In at Mostafa Mahmoud Moseque
Representatives from ‘Egypt Refugee’s Voice’ Group (the organizers of the Sit-in
demonstration)
- Witness Shatila
Members of Cairo to Camps group, an Arab Youth Solidarity project
- Interrelations between internal and international Migration in Egypt
Ayman Zohry, FMRS Associate Researcher
- The Psychological Consequences and benefits of trauma for Africans Refugees residing in Sweden
Jennifer Steel, Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh
- Discourse Analysis and the Politics of Humanitarianism
Maissa Youssef, FMRS Research Affiliate
- African Transit Migration through Libya into Europe: The Refugee Dimension
Sara Hamood, FMRS Research Affiliate
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- Housing and Land Rights for Refugees and Migrants
Joseph Schechla, Coordinator/Middle East and North Africa - Habitat International
Coalition, Housing and Land Rights Network
- A Tragedy of Failures and False Expectations: Report on the Events Surrounding the Threemonth Sit-in and Forced Removal of Sudanese Refugees in Cairo, September–December 2005
Fateh Azzam and FMRS researchers
- A Panel Discussion on the Complexities of Providing Assistance in an Urban Setting
Liza Hazelton from Musa’adeen (NGO), Tarek Badawi, Program Director of African
and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA), Father Claudio Lurati, the coordinator
of Refugee and immigrant activities of the Catholic Church in Egypt, David Moganada,
Assistant Coordinator of Refugee Egypt (NGO)
- Israel’s Disengagement: Implications for Palestinian Statehood and the Status of Palestinian
Refugees
Rula Khalafawi, head of the Cairo Office of the United Nations Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
- Palestinian Refugee Communities in Europe: Challenges of Integration and Identity
Abbas Shiblak, FMRS/HUSS Visiting Fellow
- Aliens and Locals: Maids in Contemporary Egypt
Amira Ahmed, PhD Candidate at the University of East London and FMRS affiliate
- Collaboration between different UN Agencies in facing Humanitarian Crisis
Mahar Nasser, Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Cairo
- Refugees in History: the disturbing question
Philip Marfleet, Co-Director of the Refugee Studies Center at the University of East
London
- Rights in Exile
Barbara Harrell-Bond, FMRS Distinguished Visiting Professor
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- Special Issues and Problems of African Refugees
Rawia Tawfik, The South African Institute of International Affairs, Cairo University
- A Panel Discussion on the Sudanese Refugee Protest in Cairo: Community dynamics and broader
implications
FMRS Students: Assad Salih, Martin Rowe, Themba Lewis, Stacy Schafer
- Statelessness and the Legal, Social, Psychological Implications of Exclusion in Exile: The case of
Eritrean and Ethiopian Refugees in Cairo
Louise Thomas, FMRS Researcher
- A Panel Discussion on Citizenship and Discrimination in Africa
Amal Abdel Hadi, Gender and Nationality Law Expert, Abdalla Khalil, Legal Expert
and Tarek Badawi, Program Director, Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance
(AMERA)
- Refugee Online: The Use of the Internet as a source of Information and Community-Building with
refugees in Cairo
Web team of STAR, (Student Action for Refugees)
Philippe Marfleet, co-director of the Refugee
Center at UEL, giving a talk at an FMRS
seminar
From right to left: Liz Hazelton, Tarek Badawi, Fateh Azzam, Father Claudio and David Moganada at the FMRS seminar on
the complexities of providing refugee assistance in an urban setting
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W
Conference and Workshops
orkshops and conferences are an important venue for bringing together
academics, field experts, inter-governmental, governmental, and civil society
actors to explore particular aspects of forced migration studies. This year
FMRS collaborated with the Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalization
and Poverty (DRC) to hold a four-day workshop which took place April 3-6, 2006 at
Stella Di Mare Hotel in Ain Sukna, Suez Governorate to prepare for an edited collection
on forced migration and rights building on the finalized research reports conducted in
DRC phase I. (See above under Research) In addition to the FMRS/DRC workshop, FMRS
collaborated with the Open Society Justice Initiative (an international legal program of the
Open Society Institute (OSI)) in organizing the OSI Supported Human Rights Fellow Retreat
that took place in Cairo January 26-29, 2006. Moreover, during the reporting period,
FMRS in coordination with the African and Middle East Refugees Assistance (AMERA)
conducted a series of workshops for Arabic-Speaking Egyptian Journalists. Below is
detailed information on the two events.
OSI-Supported Human Rights Fellows Retreat
In January 2006 FMRS collaborated with the Open Society Justice Initiative (an
international legal program of the Open Society Institute (OSI)) in organizing the OSI
Supported Human Rights Fellow Retreat that took place in Cairo January 26-29, 2006 in
Ramses Hilton Hotel.
The OSI-supported Human Rights Law Fellows Retreat organized by the OPSJI and
FMRS/AUC brought 143 leading human rights scholars and activists from 38 countries
to Cairo. The Open Society Justice Initiative supports a variety of fellowship programs to
encourage the professional development of young lawyers and enhance the capacity of
leading human rights NGOs. Beginning in 1996, the Justice Initiative established a
fellowship program at the American University, Washington College of Law. Young
lawyers from central and eastern Europe were nominated by regional human rights NGOs
for a two-year fellowship program. The first year was spent in the United States attending
human rights courses and participating in internships with NGOs. In the second, fellows
returned to their home countries, where the fellowship covered the costs of a year’s fulltime work with their nominating NGO. Although no longer operating at the American
University, the fellowship programs now involve a similar combination of study, work
52
experience and NGO capacity building with Columbia University, Central European
University and the University of Sao Paulo.
The Cairo retreat is part of a broad based fellowship program which includes the Justice
Initiative Fellows Program at Central European University, Justice Initiative Interns,
Fellows Program for Angola and Mozambique, the Public Interest Law Fellows Program,
the Practicing Human Rights Fellows program and the Justice Initiative Resident Fellows.
The Cairo meeting was the second gathering of fellows from all programs. In 2003, the
Justice Initiative convened an OSI-Supported Human Rights Fellows Retreat in Istanbul.
The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss, both formally and informally, the
practice and theory of human rights; to hear first-hand accounts of the experiences and
struggles of NGO activists from around the world; to learn practical skills in organization,
negotiation and communication; and to recognize, take stock of, and deepen their de facto
participation in a growing global network of human rights activists.
At the Cairo meeting, subjects included democracy and human rights development in
Middle East, extended discussions on freedom of information, protecting the rights of the
disabled as well as economic, social and cultural rights; panels on police accountability,
gender discrimination, women’s rights, protection of the rights of juveniles, as well as
reports on the substantial progress made since the last retreat in the areas of access to justice
and clinical legal education. Additionally, skills training sessions were organized on seven
subjects related both to advocacy and NGO organization: program evaluation, strategic
planning fundraising, communications, career development, personal leadership as well as
team and employee management.
A full report on the subjects discussed during the Cairo OSI/FMRS conference will be
made available soon by the Open Society Justice Initiative.
The Open Society Institute covered all travel and living costs of the participants during
the Retreat. The preparation for the conference was carried, however, through FMRS.
FMRS was responsible for selecting local keynote speakers and contacting them as well as
taking care of all the logistic in terms of issuing visa letters to the participants to facilitate their
arrival, working with the local conference organizer to make sure that the event is carried
out smoothly, and issuing invitation letters to local partners. Moreover, FMRS identified a
number of note-takers who were mostly FMRS students and AMERA interns. Their work
is much appreciated as their note-taking will help in the production of the conference
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report which the OSI is planning to produce. Below are the names of the note-takers.
Wesal Afifi (FMRS Alumna)
Viviana Mazza (FMRS Alumna)
Leila Bedir (Journalist)
Clark Gard (FMRS Alumni and IHRL Student)
Shadrik King (AMERA)
Sarah Stanton (AMERA)
Hishem Safi El Din (Journalist)
Anne Maria (AMERA)
Last but not least, both Fateh Azzam and Ray Jureidini were keynote speakers in the
plenary sessions.
Journalist Workshops
As part of an ongoing FMRS effort to promote awareness of refugee issues in Egypt and
to promote the involvement of Egyptian Journalists and human rights lawyers to advocate
for refugee rights, FMRS organized in coordination with the African and Middle East
Refugee Assistance (AMERA) a series of four workshops for Arabic-speaking journalists
held entirely in Arabic. Specialists on refugee law, social issues and refugees in the media
presented on topics of “Racism in Egypt,” “Refugees in the Media” and “Who is a
Refugee?” among others. An Arabic-language resource book was compiled and
distributed to the 21 participants who represented nine press offices in Egypt. In the last
two months following the workshops and the continual linking with the press, four
positive articles were published in local papers concerning refugees since May 2006, and
the AMERA office has been contacted by five different press agencies requesting
interviews and information. This is an enormous increase of interest by the media as
compared with last year. As a result FMRS/AMERA decided to continue this initiative
by conducting monthly workshops for Egyptian Journalists.
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T
Community Outreach Activities
he community outreach activities undertaken by our students are unique features of
our program, reflecting the FMRS program’s encouragement of students to engage
in extra-curricular activities. Two of the most active student-run organization in
AUC were established by FMRS students: Students Action for Refugees (STAR) and
Cairo to Camps.
Although both work under the auspices of the FMRS and the guidance of the FMRS
director as their academic advisor, they have a great degree of autonomy that allows them
to engage creatively in initiating new ideas and programs.
Below is detailed description of the activities of both Cairo to Camps and STAR during
the scholastic year 2005-2006
Cairo to Camps
The philosophy of Cairo to Camps, an Arab Youth Solidarity Project with Palestinian
Refugees, is based on the belief in the power of art in self-expression, and the role of
workshops that goes beyond “having fun with the children.” The main component of
Cairo to Camps activities is their August annual trip to refugee camps in Lebanon where
they work with Palestinian refugee children conducting workshops in literature, music,
art, theater, and filmmaking.
This year, on July 12, 2006 a Lebanese-Israeli conflict started in which Israel formed a
naval as well as air blockade over Lebanese territories. While the war ended on August 14,
2006 when the United Nations brokered ceasefire went into effect, the blockade has been
lifted competetely on September 8, 2006. Accordingly, members of Cairo to Camps were
not able to do their annual visits to the Palestinian camps in Lebanon to conduct art
workshops that was scheduled in August 2006. However, they continued their on campus
awareness and training activities in Egypt. Below is a detailed description of the activities
undertaken by the Cairo to Camps group during the 2005-2006 scholastic year.
Awareness Activities
An important component of Cairo to Camps activities is their awareness campaign to raise
the awareness of the plight of Palestinian refugees. Their campaign targets both their new
members as well as the whole AUC community. To this end, they screened four movies
55
at AUC during the reporting period under the title “Falestinyate.” The movies were
Paradise Now, Private, West Beirut, and Arna’s Children. The four movies were very well
attended. Moreover, the old members conducted awareness sessions for new Cairo to
Camps members on the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Palestinian refugees and their
status in the Middle East with special focus on Lebanon, the Lebanese civil war, the
different Palestinian factions and their formation, and development as well as the debate
on Palestinian domestic politics with a special highlight on the nature of latest
development in the situation internationally, regionally and domestically.
Training Activities
The primary goal of the Cairo to Camps training activities is to ensure that the members
of the group, who themselves will conduct art workshops with refugee children and youth
during the month-long visit to the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, have enough
technical and professional skills to relay to the workshop participants. This year, an
art/theater training took place in Fayoum in the form of a three-day workshops for Cairo
to camps members in a students’ hostel. The purpose of this workshop was to help the new
members familiarize themselves with the mission and goals of the project. It was also a way
to expose them to theater and arts trainings by professional trainers. Exercises in theater
arts and literature that were implemented in the previous Cairo to Camps rounds also took
place in Fayoum. Finally, the three days workshop was a venue in which the members got
to know each other more. In addition to the trainings in Fayoum, Ahmed Kamal, a theater
trainer and an actor, conducted a workshop for a month with Cairo to Camps members
which took place once a week for two hours and introduced the members to different
techniques that were meant to be applied in the workshops.
In addition to their training and awareness activities, Cairo to Camps members gave a
talk in one of the FMRS seminar series for the fourth year in a row presenting their
previous year experience with Palestinian children in Shatilla refugee camp in Beirut
during the summer of August 2005. The seminar which took place in November 2005
started with music performed by Egyptian oud player Mustafa Said, a volunteer with Cairo
to Camps. It was followed by testimonies from seven members. Their testimonies included
their feedback on the trainings they received before their travel as well as their personal
perspectives of the workshops and the project. The testimonies revealed the importance of
the experience to the members themselves where they all argued that they learned a lot
from the experience and it made them appreciate the value of art and creativity in
children’s sense of self-worth and sense of confidence. The testimonies were followed by
a forty-minute documentary entitled “Witness Shatila” produced by Nagi Ismail, one of
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Cairo to Camps members, and a student in the high institute of cinema who chose to
express their experience through the production of the documentary. The documentary
included several interviews reflecting the conditions of refugees in Lebanon. The seminar
ended with a Q and A session in which the audience posed some questions regarding the
project and discussed with the volunteers the meaning of Arab solidarity and how it can
be distinguished from ‘services’ that objectifies refugees.
Student Action for Refugees (STAR)
Student Action for Refugees (STAR) was established in 2001 to raise awareness about
refugee issues and offer students the opportunity to work with refugees in practical ways
through volunteering and education. Following the model of the international STAR
network, AUC students are working to establish their own network of students and
refugees here in Cairo. STAR has been active this year as usual in providing a variety of
activities for raising awareness about refugee issues at AUC and beyond, and providing
services for the refugee community.
In Spring 2006, Jennifer Renquist replaced James Pearce as the STAR president.
Pearce has been an active STAR member since he joined AUC and has managed STAR
for over a year; he initiated brilliant ideas and projects that helped in shaping what STAR
is today. We thank him for his outstanding services and energetic spirit and wish him the
best of luck in his future plans. Thankfully, STAR has been placed in equally good hands
by having Jennifer Renquist as its new president. Renquist is an FMRS/IHRL student
who has been heavily involved with STAR and the refugee communities ever since she
joined AUC in the Spring of 2004. She has excellent communication, personnel, and
managerial skills that enabled her to build strong relationships with AUC offices involved
in the implementation of the various STAR activities.
STAR continued its work this academic year with and for refugee populations in Cairo
by organizing a variety of volunteer opportunities and educational programs. One of the
most significant programs that STAR was able to implement on AUC campus was their
English and Arabic language courses. The STAR English program provides free classes to
hundreds of refugees in the Cairo community, which is made possible largely through
STAR volunteer teachers and the gracious allowance of AUC to host the classes on its
campus. In fact, the demand on STAR English courses has become so tremendous that
STAR is now facing the problem of not having enough space to accommodate the huge
number of refugees, a problem that needs to be given more attention in the future. In
57
addition to the English and Arabic classes, STAR also offered classes in the Swahili
language as well as traditional ethnic cooking classes taught by refugees to the AUC
community. Moreover, through the efforts of STAR, the handicraft project was able to
expand this year, organized with the help of Fatma Suleiman, an Eritrean refugee in Cairo.
Fatma worked with a number of refugee women’s groups to develop their skills with arts
and crafts, which they then are able to sell on the AUC campus and surrounding areas.
This effort is in accordance with the STAR mission that aims at building the skills of
refugees, providing them with income opportunities and teaching other refugees the skills
they have acquired.
STAR with members of refugee communities during a day-trip for refugees
In addition to its educational activities, STAR was also involved in organizing certain
awareness–raising activities. In 2006, STAR conducted a series of film screenings, showing
important films which demonstrated the plight of refugees and the consequences of war in
different parts of the world. For instance, STAR screened the movie “We Are All
Neighbors” that describes the social disintegration in a Bosnian/Croatian village during
war-time. “Children of Shatila” that describes the horrors, heartaches and broken hopes
within the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon was also screened by STAR during the
film series. The importance of such movies is that it focuses on the similarities between the
58
experiences of refugees in different parts of the world and provides students with a unique
visual perspective of their plight. In addition “Well-Founded Fear” and “Chasing Freedom”
that focus on the problems of conducting refugee status determination were also screened.
STAR also organized some recreational activities for refugee youth and adults. For
instance, STAR hosted a mini Africa’s Football Cup this year which included teams from
Burundi, Egypt, Liberia and Sudan. Moreover, many STAR members also actively
volunteered in the community, teaching arts and crafts to young children at a local refugee
school and providing tutoring to refugee school children at St. Andrews. Last but by not
least, STAR hosted again this summer the World Refugee Day on AUC campus in
collaboration with other local refugee organizations and NGOs.
World Refugee Day
Student Action for Refugees (STAR), in conjunction with members of Cairo’s refugee
communities hosted for the fifth year in a row the World Refugee Day on June 17, 2006,
at AUC.
The World Refugee Day provides refugees in Cairo a chance to celebrate their cultures
by displaying and enjoying their own cultural food, and handicrafts, as well as performing
songs and dances from their tribes. Another importance for the World Refugee Day is that
it creates an opportunity for AUC students, especially Egyptians, to learn about refugees’
cultures and interact with them. Although, the attendance rate of Egyptians is relatively
low, it can be argued that there is some progress as the event, compared to previous years
is attended by more AUC students and faculty, Egyptian journalists as well as
representatives of national and international non-governmental organizations. Working on
raising the awareness of Egyptians towards the situation of refugees in Cairo and facilitating
more interaction between the two communities is becoming one of the most important
targets on STAR’s agenda.
As every year, the celebration of the World Refugee Day this year was a success, over
2000 people, including many children, attended the event. The attendees and participants
came from different refugee communities in Cairo (Sudan, Ethiopia, Palestine, Burundi,
Somalia and elsewhere) as well as Egyptians and AUC faculty and staff. This full day event
began in the early afternoon with children’s activities and arts and crafts tables, which was
possible with the help of volunteers from the British Council’s “Dreams and Teams.”
Throughout the day, attendees were able to enjoy ethnic foods from a variety of different
59
refugee groups in Cairo as well as purchase the arts and crafts displayed by refugee
women’s handicraft groups from the area. Moreover, there was an English essay writing
competition between refugees in the community and AUC security members. The two
winners of the competition had their essays published and distributed during the event. In
addition, during the evening performances, the two winners were publicly acknowledged
and awarded with generous prizes from the John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and
Civic Engagement. (See more under Networking and Collaboration). The evening ended in
musical and dance festivities given by 20 performing groups from all over the African
continent, including songs by children from a local refugee school, a lively Palestinian dance
routine, and an energetic music and dance performance from Sittuna, a Sudanese entertainer.
FMRS supported the event but it would not have been able to do it without the
generous financial support of many other sponsors including AUC and the Office of
Student Development, the John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic
Engagement, and a generous gift from an anonymous international donor. In addition,
World Refugee Day 2006 would not have been possible without the countless hours of
work and planning put towards the event by STAR student volunteers and refugees, as
well as the kind assistance provided by the AUC security team.
60
Jennifer Renquist, STAR’s president, with refugee
children
Member of a refugee community giving a music performance during
World Refugee Day
STAR member helping a refugee child with art
Gafar Salim welcoming participants of
World Refugee Day
Members of a refugee community sharing their dance performance during World Refugee Day
61
Other Community Outreach Activities
In addition to STAR and Cairo to Camps outreach activities, the following two activities
were undertaken during the year for the purpose of outreaching the refugee communities
and facilitating the interactions between Egyptians and refugees.
The Egyptian Refugee Multicultural Council
This year Barbara Harrell-Bond was involved in the establishment of the Egyptian
Refugee Multicultural Council: ‘Tadamon’ through funding from the Dutch Council for
Refugees. The purpose of the Egyptian Refugee Council is to promote greater
coordination between Refugee-assisting NGOs and Egyptian NGOs and to facilitate
better communication between the Egyptian host community and the refugee population
in Cairo. The council is an outreach programme of the Townhouse Gallery. Mohammed
Yousry is the full-time coordinator working under a steering committee composed of
representatives of a group of Egyptian and refugee assisting NGOs.
Salon Afrique
This year FMRS co-sponsored with the performing and visual arts department an event
featuring a series of collective theater performances entitled Salon Afrique. The event took
place in December 2005 and featured a play that was written and acted by St. Andrew’s
Refugee Drama club entitled Recipe for Civil War, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius
Caesar. The play was followed by African poetry reading. “The passage” by the famous
Nigerian poet Christopher Okigbo as well as other poems were read by African fellows at
AUC. Also in May 2006, St. Andrew Refugee Drama club wrote and performed a play at
AUC entitled “27 Dead” which was about the protest of the Sudanese near the UNHCR
offices in Mohandiseen and the subsequent attack that resulted in the killing of 27
Sudanese refugees.
62
T
Networking and Collaboration
hroughout the years, FMRS has established a strong presence both within AUC and
beyond by forging important links with a variety of academic and research centers
and international and non-governmental organizations working in the field, with
whom we continuously share experiences and knowledge.
Local Networks
Within AUC
Within AUC, FMRS is in continuous collaboration with the sociology, anthropology,
psychology and Egyptology department (SAPE), the political science department, and the
law department as well as with the following multi-disciplinary programs at the School of
Humanities and Social Science:
- Cynthia Nelson Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies, directed by Martina Rieker
- Social Research Center, directed by Hoda Rashad
- Middle East studies program, directed by Joel Beinin
- The John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement, directed by
Barbara Ibrahim
Martina Rieker, assistant professor and director of Cynthia Nelson Institute for Gender
and Women’s Studies, and Hania Sholkamy, assistant research professor at the Social
Research Center, are both members of our Joint Steering Committee, the governing body
of FMRS, and their contribution to the committee is greatly appreciated.
In terms of this year collaboration, AUC’s Social Research Center has inquired about
the possibility of FMRS involvement in a five-year program of activities under the title of
Pathways to Women’s Empowerment to include the particular issues of women migrants and
refugees in their program. The initiative is under study but no decision has been taken yet.
On the other hand, the Cynthia Nelson Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies
successfully developed this year an MA program where students will start enrolling in it as
of Spring 2007. Fateh Azzam, FMRS director has been involved, as a member of the
committee that was established for the purpose of developing the MA, in the preparation
for the gender institute’s MA program. Moreover, Rieker is working closely with us in
developing courses that can be cross-listed between the two programs.
Likewise, we are in constant collaboration with the John D. Gerhart Center for
63
Philanthropy and Civic Engagement. The goals of the Gerhart center are the
consolidation of university activities that encourage engaged citizenship and service and
the promotion of philanthropic giving in the Arab region. Our collaboration with the
Gerhart center is for the purpose of strengthening civic engagement and services to include
also the different refugee communities in Cairo. Towards this end, Fateh Azzam was
invited more than once during this year to participate in the Gerhart ‘On Campus
Conversation.’ Moreover, the Gerhart center provided generous financial support for
organizing the World Refugee Day of 2006. (See above under Students Outreach Activities)
Beyond AUC
Beyond the AUC, FMRS has established links and regular communication with a
variety of institutions and organizations in Cairo that are concerned with refugee issues:
The Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA)
FMRS collaborates regularly with AMERA, a UK-registered charity operating in Egypt.
AMERA’s activities in Egypt started in 2000 as a Refugee Legal Aid Project within FMRS.
It moved in 2001 under the umbrella of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
(EOHR) and finally became an independent entity as a branch office of AMERA UK in
2003. Both Fateh Azzam and Barbara Harrell-Bond are members of the AMERA Egypt’s
Advisory Board. (For more detailed information: visit our Web site www.aucegypt/fmrs and
AMERA’s Web site www.amera-uk.org.)
As part of our collaboration with AMERA, FMRS provides university affiliation for
AMERA’s lawyers and volunteers to help them in their relevant research.
AMERA Volunteers 2005-2006
Adiam Yaynishet, Eritrea
Aisha Topsakal, Canada
Andrea Jaramillo, Spain
Angela Bertini, Brazil
Anna Alexis Larsson, USA
Angela Schuldt, Germany
Andrew Legg, England
64
Angeline Wallis
Atef El Marakby, Egypt
Birgitte Horn
Barbara Harvey, Canada
Bobi Janelle Morris, USA
Caitlin Williams
Charlotte Manson, Sweden
Courtney Mitchell, USA
Deborah Thackray, UK
Dina Attia El-Shalle, Egypt
Daria M. Fisher, USA
Din Mohamed Din
Elif Ozerman
Emmanuelle M. Diehl, USA
Frances Miriam Kreimer, USA
George Hoar, UK
George Milad, Egypt
Gloria Lo, USA
Grace Catherine Pelly, England
Grace WU, Canada
Jennifer Renquist, USA
James I. Pearce, USA
Jessica Adley, Canada
John Alex Njuba, Uganda
Kini Samson, Sudan
Leanne Mckay, New Zealand
Laura Stone, Canada
Melissa McAdam, Australia
Michael Timmins, New Zealand
Mohamed El-Messiry, Egypt
Marion A Vannier, USA
Mahmoud Ahmed Ali, Egypt
Mohamed Younis, USA
Mohamed Soliman Ahmed, Egypt Mireia Cano, UK
Musafiri Sebbi, Rwanda
Natalie I. Forcier, USA
Natalia Asensio, Spain
Parastou Hassouri, USA
Peter Shams, Canada
Rebecca Mikhail, Australia
Sara Emam, Egypt
Said Laaziz, Canada
Samah Mah. Kenawy, Egypt
Sarah L. Stanton, Canda
Sabrina Rouigui, France
Shadrick King, USA
Samii Plamer-Latif, UK
Shazia Razzaque, Canada
Soheir El-Banna, Egypt
Simon James Charters, UK
Scott Loong, Canada
Susan Meffert, USA
Tanja Granzow, Germany
Theres Kohler, Switzerland
Traci L. Massey, USA
Tonyah S. Goldberg, USA
Trisha Stratford, USA
Moreover, this year FMRS collaborated with AMERA in the provision of a series of
workshops for Egyptian journalists as part of an ongoing FMRS effort to promote
awareness of refugee issues in Egypt and to promote the involvement of Egyptian
Journalists and human rights lawyers to advocate for refugee rights. (See more under
Conferences and Workshops)
Cairo Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
FMRS’ cooperation with the Cairo regional office of UNHCR is ongoing. During the
2005-2006 academic year, two of UNHCR staff were enrolled in our diploma program.
(See under Diploma) UNHCR staff regularly attended our weekly seminars and FMRS
participated regularly in the bi-monthly inter-agency meetings organized by UNHCR,
with a number of parties, including embassies, NGOs and faith-based groups that provide
services for refugees.
Egyptian Universities
FMRS attempts to cooperate with Egyptian universities continued this year. Fateh Azzam
attended an all day workshop on Human Rights Education in Egyptian Universities on
March 25, 2006. The workshop was organized by the Arab University Human Rights
Network, a member of the international SUR - Southern University Human Rights
Network. AUC has been participating in this network for the past two years.
Representatives of Cairo University, Ain Shams University, Helwan University and
Zagazig University met at AUC and each presented outlines of the approaches and focus
of teaching of human rights and problems encountered in their respective environments.
65
Azzam presented a summary of FMRS’ approach to refugee studies, which combines
teaching, research, practical experience and community services as a comprehensive and
integrated approach necessary to develop the proper understanding of the issues.
Last but not least, FMRS enjoys a strong network with local refugee groups and various
human rights organizations. For example Fateh Azzam participated on May 6, 2006 in a
strategic planning session for the work of the Africa Hope Learning Center, a churchbased school for refugee children in Maadi, Cairo.
Regional and International Networks
Throughout the years, FMRS established close links with institutions concerned with
forced migration issues in Africa, the wider Middle East and internationally.
This year, FMRS joined the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network’s Working
Group on Migration, a program launched in late 2005 to conduct work and advocacy on
behalf of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the Mediterranean region. The project
aims at strengthening regional networking between human rights organizations, refugee
councils, migrant and refugee organizations and academics for the purpose of:
- Promoting public civil society debate and awareness about rights-based approaches to
migration management
- Developing capacity of civil society to deal with the protection of forced migrants
and asylum seekers on a national and regional level
- Undertaking research to enhance knowledge and propose policies to enhance the
protection of migrants, forced migrants and asylum seekers, nationally and regionally
FMRS director Fateh Azzam attended a meeting of the Working Group in Casablanca,
Morocco, March 10-11, 2006, to discuss two preliminary research projects on migrants
and asylum seekers from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. FMRS researcher Sara Hamood
was also invited to present the findings of her research, African Transit Migration Through
Libya to Europe: The Human Cost.
FMRS collaboration in The Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalization
and Poverty (DRC) with Sussex University and three other academic institutions
continued this year with the beginning of phase two of the collaboration where Barbara
Harrell-Bond is the coordinator of the second phase. (See more under Research)
66
Our negotiation with the Refugee Studies Program at the University of East London
materialized this year into active cooperation. As of February 2006, FMRS Diploma
credits became fully accepted by the University of East London and applied towards UEL’s
MA in refugee studies. (See more under the Diploma Program) More negotiation for
further collaboration in terms of research and teaching is still taking place.
Collaboration with other universities also took place this year. For example,
AUC/FMRS has been included in a proposal by Michael Barnett of the University of
Minnesota for a collaborative project on Religion, Humanitarianism and World Order.
Additionally, the presence of FMRS at the 10th International Conference on the Study of
Forced Migration (IASFM) at York University in Canada opened up a lot of possibilities
for further collaboration with the Refugee Studies Center at York University. (See more
under Faculty Activities)
FMRS’s formal and informal links with several Africa-based institutions concerned with
issues of forced migration continued this year. These include the Refugee Law Project at
the Faculty of Law of Makerere University in Kampala; the Kenyan Refugee Consortium;
University of Ghana and Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg (South Africa). The
University of Witwatersrand’s forced Migration Studies Program initiated an African
Forced Migration Research and Training Network where FMRS is seeking membership.
Last but not least, FMRS continues as the Middle East partner of Oxford University’s
Forced Migration Online (FMO) portal project, launched in November 2002
(www.forcedmigration.org), which offers up-to-the-minute information and resources for
practitioners, researchers and students in the field.
67
Faculty, Staff and Affiliates Activities
FMRS faculty is involved in a variety of activities in addition to teaching, including
research and activism in refugee studies and other fields and disciplines.
AMIRA AHMED, PhD candidate at the University of East London and FMRS affiliated
researcher, presented a number of papers on the topic of her research during this academic
year. On December 2, 2005 she presented a paper entitled “Women on the Move: The
Experiences of Sudanese Refugee Women in Egypt” at the Center for African Studies,
Ohio State University (OSU), USA. In March 2006, she presented at the FMRS Weekly
Wednesday Seminar a paper titled “Aliens and Locals: Maids in Contemporary Egypt.”
During the same month, she gave a talk on the occasion of the International Women Day
organized at AUC. Also in March, she attended a workshop “Darfur Crisis and the Arab
Media” that was organized by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHR) in
Beirut, Lebanon where she presented a paper entitled “Background on the Ongoing
Conflict on Darfur.” The same presentation was also delivered within the summer school
sponsored by CIHR entitled “Human Rights Education for University Students in the
Arab Region”, in Cairo, Egypt in August 2006. In April 2006, she traveled to Norway
where she presented the paper “Transit Migration and Survival: Refugee Women as
Domestic Workers in Cairo” at the Sudanese Studies Conference, Bergen. Ahmed was
also invited by Harrell-Bond to address FMRS Diploma students on the topic of “Gender
and Forced Migration” in April 2006. And in July, 2006, she addressed the members of
Ma’an Organization, a Sudanese NGO based in Cairo, on the relevance of gender
theorizing to the work of NGOs where she presented her paper What is Gender: the
Relevance of Gender Mainstreaming to NGOs.
BARBARA HARRELL-BOND, FMRS distinguished adjunct professor, continues as
executive director for overseas operations, AMERA, UK and as the chair of the AMERA
Egypt Advisory Committee. This year, she was invited to give an opening speech on
September 4, 2005 at the International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance Course
(IDHA) that took place in Cairo September 4-29, 2005 (Detailed information under
Wednesday Seminars). She also ran the “Refugee Studies Day” during the IDHA course on
September 14, 2005. The “Refugee Studies Day” of the IDHA course provides an
overview of the situation of refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs) exemplified
by some case studies. In September 21, 2005, she traveled to Geneva to attend the annual
ExCom board meeting. In October 19-20, 2005 she participated in the two days
68
workshop organized jointly between the Development Research Center on Migration,
Globalization and Poverty (DRC) and FMRS. The workshop was for the purpose of
discussing the research findings and ways of disseminating the findings. In November
2005, she attended the Harrell-Bond lecture in Human Rights at the Refugee Center in
Oxford and in January 2006 she gave a talk on Women at Risk in a conference in Sidney
Australia. In January she also conducted a field trip with Ray Jureidini to Uganda where
they visited camps in Arua District in the northwest of the country and the Refugee Law
Project in Kampala. In April 2006, she participated in the partnership meeting of the
Development Research Center on Migration, Globalization and Poverty (DRC) held at
AUC on April 7-9, 2006. During the same month, she traveled to Nairobi, Kenya to
attend a conference on Migration and Development.
FATEH AZZAM, FMRS director, traveled to Beirut on September 22-24, 2005 for the
last preparatory meeting of the Arab Human Rights Fund during which he was elected
Chairperson of the Board of Directors. Following this meeting the Arab Human Rights
Fund became formally registered and its first official board meeting was held in February
22-25, 2006 which was also attended by Azzam. During the month of September 2005,
both Fateh Azzam and Barbara Harrell-Bond participated as guest speakers at the
International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance Course (IDHA) that took place in
Cairo September 4-29, 2005 (See detailed information under Wednesday Seminars). In
October 26, 2005 Azzam traveled to Washington, D.C. where he participated as a
member of the “Human Rights Expert Group” in the preparation of the Human Rights
section of the Global Governance Report. The event was organized by the Brookings
Institution and the International Commission of Jurists. On November 12-15, 2005 he
traveled to Puerto Rico as the representative of the Arab Human Rights Fund to attend a
meeting of the International Initiative to Strengthen Philanthropy, an initiative by the
Ford Foundation to bring together emerging regional funds for the promotion of regional
social justice philanthropy. He flew directly from Puerto Rico to Geneva on November
16, 2005 to present his work on The Right to Development and Practical Strategies for
the Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals to the high level task force of
the United Nations Group on the Right to Development. The study was the result of a
two-month consultancy for the working group. In November 22-24, 2006 he traveled to
Ramallah to attend a conference organized by Al-Haq, a Palestinian Human Rights
Organization. The conference entitled From Theory to Practice: The implementation of
International Humanitarian Law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. On March 1011, Azzam attended a meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network’s
Working Group on Migration, a program launched in late 2005 to conduct work and
69
advocacy on behalf of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the Mediterranean region.
In the meeting, he discussed two preliminary research projects on migrants and asylum
seekers from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
Azzam attended a one day workshop on Human Rights Education in Egyptian
Universities that was held at AUC on March 25, 2006. The workshop was organized by
the Arab University Human Rights Network, a member of the international Southern
University Human Rights Network (SUR) in which AUC has been participating for the
past two years. Representatives of Cairo University, Ain Shams University, Helwan
University and Zagazig University were present and each presented outlines of the
approaches and focus of teaching of human rights and problems encountered in their
respective environments. Azzam presented a summary of the FMRS approach to refugee
studies, which combines teaching, research, practical experience and community services
as a comprehensive and integrated approach necessary to develop the proper understanding
of the issues. In May 6, 2006, Azzam participated in a strategic planning session for the
work of the Africa Hope Learning Center, a church-based school for refugee children in
Maadi, Cairo.
Azzam last activity before commencing his work at FMRS was attending the 10th
Conference of the International Association of the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM)
from June 18-22, 2006 at York University, Toronto, Canada. During the conference he
participated in the plenary session entitled North-South Dialogues in Forced Migration.
He also participated with Maysa Ayoub, Assistant to Director of FMRS, in the panel
discussion on the planning and management of short courses on refugee issues and met
with the executive committee regarding the preparation of the upcoming 11th IASFM
conference that is going to take place at AUC in January 2008.
KATARZYNA GRABSKA. Until April 2006, Kasia Grabska worked as a DRC
researcher and research coordinator at FMRS. She also was a visiting researcher at the
University of Legon, Ghana, July to September 2005. She organized the October 2005
and April 2006 DRC workshops that were held at AUC. (See more under Research). At the
April write-up workshop, she presented the paper Who asked them [refugees] anyway?
Rights, Policies and the Wellbeing of Refugees in Egypt. She presented the same paper in
the 10th IASFM conference held at York University, Toronto, Canada in June 2006
during which she organized two panels on DRC research on rights and forced migration
policies. During the IASFM conference, Grabska was also chosen to co-chair the program
committee for the upcoming IASFM conference that is going to take place in Cairo in
January 2008. Since October 2005, Kasia is pursuing a PhD in gender and forced
migration at the Institute of Development Studies University of Sussex, UK. In April
70
2006, she presented her research outline seminar and her research proposal entitled
Gendered return home: change and continuity in Southern Sudanese gender relations. As
of August 2006, she is carrying out extensive fieldwork for her PhD in refugee camp in
Kakuma, Northern Kenya and in Unity State, South Sudan. In November 2006, she
participated in the 107th American Anthropologist Association Conference, San Jose,
USA where she chaired a panel and presented her paper on rights of refugees and the
policies towards them in Egypt.
MAISSA YOUSSEF, FMRS researcher, presented a paper entitled Merely
Human at Large: Giorgio Agamben and Accounting for Differentially at the 2006
Association of Cultural Studies Crossroads Conference at Istanbul, Bilgi University,
Turkey in July22, 2006. In June 7-8, 2006, she participated in a roundtable discussion
entitled “Gender, Conflict and the Academy” as part of the “Gender and Empire
Conference” held at the American University in Cairo on June 7-8, 2006 and organized
by the Cynthia Nelson Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies. Last but not least, she
gave a talk in our weekly Wednesday Seminar on discourse analysis and the politics of
humanitarianism in fall 2005.
MAYSA AYOUB, FMRS assistant to director and program coordinator, traveled to
Canada in June 2006 to attend the 10th conference of the International Association for the
Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) that was hosted by the Centre for Refugee Studies at
York University from June 18-22, 2006. The purpose of the trip was to meet with the
IASFM Executive Committee in preparation for the next IASFM conference that will be
held at AUC in January 2008. Along with Fateh Azzam, She met with the executive
committee on June 19, 2006 where she briefed the members of the preparation
undertaken so far for the conference. Logistics and funding issues were also discussed
extensively in the meeting. On June 21, 2006 she attended the Annual General Meeting
(AGM) where a PowerPoint presentation on AUC and Cairo was delivered to members
of the AGM. On the same day she participated in a panel discussion on the planning and
management of short courses on refugee issues. The session included Loren Landau from
the University of Witswatersrand, Paul Ryder from the Refugee Center at Oxford, Bruce
Collet from the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University, and Fateh Azzam. The
planning, funding, managing and marketing of the short courses were discussed in the
session to exchange ideas on how such courses are conducted in the four universities.
MULKI EL SHARMANI, research assistant professor at the Social Research Center and
FMRS research affiliate, taught the FMRS elective course SOC/ANTH 510 Navigating
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Refugee Life: Women, Families, and Communities in Spring 2006. (See more under
Diploma). In March 2006, she presented her paper “Development of Participatory
Research Tools to Study Violence against Street Children in Cairo,” at the follow-up
conference on the UN Study of Violence against Children, Cairo.
RAY JUREIDINI, associate professor of sociology and acting director of FMRS since
June 2006, is a regular and active member of the FMRS Joint Steering Committee as well
as the Self-Assessment Study Committee. (See more under Program Development) In January
2006, he traveled with Barbara Harrell-Bond to the refugee camps in Northern Uganda.
The purpose of his travel was to enhance his information to formulate future research
interests on refugees and develop new ideas to upgrade his teaching curriculum. During
the scholastic year 2005-2006, Jureidini presented a number of papers in various occasions
within and outside AUC. On November 9, 2005, he presented a paper entitled “Migrant
Domestic Workers in Lebanon: The link between vicarious migration and the desire for
viability” to the school of Humanities and Social Science (HUSS) Roundtable’s “Laboring
Practices, Consumption Desires.” On November 28-30, 2006, he traveled to Beirut,
Lebanon to attend a workshop on the situation of women migrant domestic workers in
Lebanon. The workshop was organized by the International Labour Organization and he
presented a paper entitled Profile of Migrant Domestic Workers in Lebanon: preliminary
survey results. On January 26, 2006, he was a key note speaker at the Human Rights
Fellow Retreat organized jointly by FMRS and the Open Society Justice Institute where
he presented a paper entitled Human rights Violations against Migrant Domestic Workers
(See more under Conferences). Moreover, on May 23, 2006 he presented a paper entitled
Some Images of the Sexuality of Domestic Maids Living in Arab Households at the
Anthropology/Sociology Seminar. In terms of research, his proposal for funding a research
on domestic migrant workers in Cairo was accepted by Sussex University as part of our
on going collaboration on Migration, Globalization, and Poverty. (See more under Research)
Furthermore, 25 interviews were completed this year as part of his ongoing oral history
documentation research with the Arab Family Working Group on employment and
experiences of domestic employees in Lebanese households from the perspective of
Lebanese middle class individuals. Finally, data analysis of his research A social Profile of
Migrant Domestic Workers in Lebanon was completed in April 2006. The analysis
covered data collected from 610 interviews with Sri Lankan, Filipina and Ethiopian
migrant domestic workers. The first presentation of selected findings from the complete
data set was presented to a legislative reform steering committee at the Lebanese Ministry
of Labour in Beirut, June 4, 2006.
72
SARA HAMOOD, FMRS researcher and Ford Foundation consultant, attended the
Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network on Migration held in Casablanca, Morocco
on March 2006 where she presented the findings of her research on African Migration
through Libya into Europe. The findings were presented also during the informal
lunchtime seminar series at the Refugee Studies Center at the University of Oxford, UK
in February 2006 and at the FMRS Weekly Wednesday seminars in November 2005.
STANCIL CAMPBELL, chair of the performing and visual arts department at AUC and
an FMRS alumnus (2003), attended the 12th Annual Conference of the Pedagogy for
Theater of the Oppressed held at the University of Carolina in May 2006. He in
collaboration with scholars from the University of Windsor in Canada provided
presentations comparing the experiences of refugees in their first country of asylum and
country of resettlement. Campbell’s part of the presentation focused on the experiences
and problems of refugees in Cairo as their first country of asylum drawing on the work he
conducted at AUC with members of the refugee community. Given the myriad of
problems, the presentation turned to the hopes and dreams that most refugees have when
thinking of their possible resettlement in another country such as Canada or the USA.
73
Publications by FMRS Faculty
and Affiliates
Al-Sharmani, M. ”Living Transnationally: Diasporic Somali Women in Cairo,” Journal of
International Migration, 44, 1, pp.1-23, 2006
Assal, M. “Whose Rights Count? National and International Responses to the Rights of
IDPs in Sudan,” DRC research report, accessible at: www.migrationdrc.org or
www.aucegypt.edu/fmrs, 2006
Grabska, K. “A system of diffuse responsibility, with blame shared by all,” Op-ed,
RSDWatch Website, www.rsdwatch.org, 2006
Grabska, K. “Marginalization in the Urban Spaces of the Global South: Urban Refugees
in Cairo,” Special Issue: Urban Refugees, Journal of Refugee Studies, 2006.
Grabska, K. “Who asked them (refugees) anyway? Rights, Policies and Refugees in
Egypt,”
DRC
research
report,
accessible
www.migrationdrc.org
or
www.aucegypt.edu/fmrs
Jureidini, R. “Preface” in Touzenis, K. Unaccompanied Minors: Rights and Protection,
Rome, XL-Edizioni Publishing, 2006
Jureidini, R. “Sexuality and the Servant: An exploration of Arab images of the sexuality
of domestic maids in the household,” in S. Khalaf and J. Gagnon eds., Sexuality in the
Arab World. Saqi Press, London, 2006
Jureidini, R. “Migrant Workers and Xenophobia in the Middle East” in Y. Bangura and
R. Stayenhagen eds., Racism and Public Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, London, pp.48-71,
2005
Suleiman, J. “Marginalized Community: The Case of Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon,”
accessible www.migrationdrc.org or www.aucegypt.edu/fmrs, 2006
Sylvan, L. “Refugee Protest in the Global South: Recent Developments,” World Refugee
Survey, the U.S Committee for Refugees and Migrants, 2006
74
FMRS Faculty and STAFF
Philippe Fargues
FMRS Director since February 2007
Ray Jureidini
FMRS Associate Director, Associate Professor of Sociology
Acting Director of FMRS from June 2006 to February 2007.
Fateh Azzam
FMRS Director from September 2003 to June 2006
Barbara Harrell-Bond
Distinguished Adjunct Professor, FMRS Advisor
Maysa Ayoub
Projects Coordinator, Assistant to Director
Lamyaa Mady
Administrative Assistant, Accountant
Mai Emad
Program Secretary
Gafar Mahmoud Salim
Office Assistant
Alice Johnson
Cairo Community Interpreters Project Manager
Emily Eidenier
FMRS Library Specialist
Sara Sadek
Research Assistant – FMRS/Sussex DRC Project
75
FMRS Affiliated Faculty and
Researchers
Courtney Mitchell
FMRS Affiliated Researcher
MA, LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor)
Daniele Calvani
FMRS Affilated Researcher
MA Middle Eastern and Spanish Literature, University of St Andrews, Scotland
Elizabeth Marie Coker
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Phd Medical Anthropology
Ferial Ghazoul
Professor of English and Comparative Literature
PhD, Columbia University
Hania Sholkamy
Research Assistant Professor, Social Research Center
DPhil, University of London
Helen Rizzo
Assistant Professor of Sociology
PhD, Ohio State University
76
Katarzyna Grabska
FMRS Project Coordinator and Researcher from July 2003 to April 2006
MA, Johns Hopkins University
Matthew Whoolery
Assistant Professor of Psychology
PhD, Brigham Young University
Michael Kagan
FMRS Adjunct Professor
JD, University of Michigan Law School
Mulki El Sharmani
Senior Researcher, Social Research Center
PhD, Johns Hopkins University
Sara Hamood
FMRS Affiliated Researcher
MA Arabic with Modern Middle Eastern Studies, Oxford University
Susan Musarrat Akram
FMRS and Law Distinguished Visiting Professor
Associate Professor, Boston University School of Law
JD, Georgetown University Law Center
77
Forced Migration and Refugee Studies
The American University in Cairo
P.O. Box 2511
11511 Cairo, Egypt
Tel 20.2.797.6629, 797.6921, 797.6626
Fax 20.2.795.6681
For more information about the program, e-mail [email protected]
Please visit our Web site at www.aucegypt.edu/fmrs
78
Notes
79
Notes
80